Date: 2021-08-28

A Kwara State High Court in Ilorin yesterday convicted a 300 level student of the University of Ilorin, Mr. Udoh Sunday Okon, over offences bordering on Facebook lottery scam.

The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of Okon for alleged involvement in Facebook lottery scam.

Udoh, a 300 level student of the University of Ilorin, allegedly defrauded an America national, Kimberly, to the tune of $500 via Facebook lottery.

The 20-year-old Akwa Ibom State indigene was prosecuted on a one-count charge by the anti-graft, to which he pleaded guilty.

The charge read: "That you, Udoh Sunday Okon (Christopher Wray), sometime in March 2021 in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this court, did cheat by personation when you pretended to be one Christopher Wray, a white male with +18315088635 as your WhatsApp business line and fraudulently deceived Kimberly, an American, to send $500 worth of Ebay gift card to you after you made him believe that he won $1,000,000.00 Facebook lottery, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the Penal Code."

Following his plea, counsel to the EFCC, Sesan Ola, urged the court to convict the defendant and sentence him based on his plea and the evidenced tendered before the court.

While delivering his ruling, the trial Judge, Justice Sikiru Oyinloye, pronounced the defendant guilty of the offence, and sentenced him to a term of one year imprisonment

He said: "I have carefully considered the facts and circumstances of this case, especially the lone-count charge, the plea of guilt, the unchallenged evidence of the prosecution, and the defence, who accepted all the evidence of the prosecution.

"It is the opinion of this court that the defendant is guilty as charged."

The Judge, however, gave the convict an option of fine of N200,000.

In addition, the court ordered the forfeiture of N206, 000 draft raised as restitution by the convict and the iPhone with which he used in perpetrating the crime, to the federal government.