Date: 2021-07-29

.Internet fraudster jailed one year in Rivers

Justice Mahmood Abdulgafar and Justice Sikiru Oyinloye, both of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin, have jailed a prince, Oyinlola Adedayo, and two others over offences bordering on love scam and cybercrime.

The other convicts were identified as Damilare Owonikoko, a 200-level Computer Science student of the University of Ilorin, and one Jimoh Lawal.

The men, who were prosecuted on separate charges, pleaded guilty to the charges preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Adedayo, 28, who claimed to be a prince from the Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State, was found guilty by Justice Abdulgafar and sentenced to three months' imprisonment, which would be suspended for one year without a fine option.

The court ordered that the phone and laptop recovered from him be forfeited to the Federal Government.

Similarly, Justice Abdulgafar sentenced Lawal to one year imprisonment each on count one, two and three, and six months' imprisonment on count four, without a fine option.

"The sentences shall run concurrently and shall be suspended for one year," the judge added.

The court also ordered the forfeiture of the money in the convict’s bank account, phones and laptop, which were used to perpetrate the crime, to the Federal Government.

Also, Justice Oyinloye convicted and sentenced Owonikoko to six months' imprisonment on count one with the option of a fine of N50,000 and one year imprisonment on count two, with the option of a fine of N100,000.

In a related development, the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has convicted and sentenced one Sampson Ajagha to one year imprisonment for Internet- related offences.

Ajagha was jailed on July 14, 2021 after pleading guilty to two counts bordering on impersonation and Internet fraud, upon his arraignment by the Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the EFCC.

Justice E. Obile sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment each on both charges, with a fine option of N100,000 on each of the counts.

The sentence runs concurrently.