The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of five internet fraudsters, including a forex trader, before Justices Suleman Akanbi and Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin.
The convicts include Sulyman Kayode, a forex trader; Rufai Ayomide, Isiaq Olamilekan, Olayemi Olasunkanmi and Ameh Samuel who were found guilty of separate charges bordering on personation and retention of proceeds of unlawful activities brought against them by the anti-graft agency.
Justice Akanbi handled the cases of Sulyman, Rufai, and Isiaq, while Olayemi and Ameh were tried before Justice Abdulgafar.
According to the charges, the defendants created fake Facebook profiles, impersonating American citizens to defraud unsuspecting victims contrary to Section 321 and punishable under Section 324 of the Penal Code Law.
The defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges against them.
Upon their pleas, the EFCC, represented by Andrew Akoja, Muhammad Ridwan, and Omolade Ajibola, reviewed the facts of the cases through prosecution witnesses and tendered the convicts’ extra-judicial statements, incriminating items recovered from them, and restitution sums, all of which were admitted in evidence.
In their separate judgments, Justices Akanbi and Abdulgafar held that the prosecution had proved its cases beyond reasonable doubt and convicted the defendants accordingly.
Justice Akanbi sentenced Sulyman to four months imprisonment without an option of fine and ordered the forfeiture of his iPhone 16 and $300 to the federal government.
Rufai was sentenced to two months imprisonment each on three counts, to run concurrently, with his iPhone 7, $25, and N347,000 forfeited while Isiaq received one year imprisonment or an option of N200,000 fine, with his Infinix Hot 40i and $306 forfeited.
Justice Abdulgafar, on his part, sentenced Olayemi to three months imprisonment or a fine of N250,000 on each of two counts and ordered the forfeiture of his iPhone XR, iPad, and $470.
Ameh was given a three-month suspended sentence on the condition that he would not commit another offence within two years, while his iPhone 13 was forfeited to the federal government.
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