Date: 2021-08-04

The Ilorin zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday, secured the conviction of a 400-level student of the University of Ilorin, Joshua Ogizien, and three other persons charged for offences bordering on internet fraud before Justice Mahmood Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.

The three other convicts are Toheeb Muritala, a 200-level student of the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete; Rasheed Afeez Temitope, a graduate of Bartholomew College of Health Technology, Shao and Olaoluwa Samuel from Lagelu local government area of Oyo State.

Following credible intelligence reports on the activities of fraudsters swindling unsuspecting victims of their hard-earned income within Ilorin and its environs, operatives of the EFCC swung into action and in the process arrested the convicts at various locations within the metropolis.

They volunteered statements and confessed to the crimes.

Consequently, the suspects were arraigned on separate charges on Monday and pleaded guilty to the charges preferred against them.

Delivering judgment on the cases, Justice Abdulgafar held that the prosecution had established its case beyond reasonable doubts.

Consequently, the judge sentenced Joshua to one year imprisonment which should be suspended for one year and ordered the forfeiture of the devices recovered from him including the draft of N79,000 which he raised as restitution to the federal government.

The judge also sentenced Toheeb to one year imprisonment, which should be suspended for one year and ordered that the devices used to perpetrate the crime and the draft of N220,000.00 which he raised as restitution be forfeited to the federal government.

The judge equally sentenced Rasheed to six months imprisonment each on the two count preferred against him, which would run concurrently.

While the court ordered the suspension of the sentences by one year to enable the convict complete his education at KWASU, the devices recovered from him were forfeited to the federal government.

In the same vein, Olaoluwa was sentenced to a term of one year imprisonment on count one with option of fine of N50,000 and one year imprisonment on count two without an option of fine.