Date: 2021-12-03

Arowoshegbe Feranmi, a cybercrime fraudster, who claims to be an indigene of Offa, Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State has bagged a month jail term for cybercrime offences.

The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, secured the conviction of one Arowosegbe, who claimed to be a native of Offa in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State for posing as a citizen of Germany to defraud unsuspecting victims.

Arowosegbe was prosecuted on two counts before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.

He pleaded guilty when the charge was read to him.

One of the charges against him read;

"That you AROWOSEGBE FERANMI (ALIAS BETTY JOE) sometime in August 2021, in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did cheat by personation, when you pretended to be Betty Joe, a white female, resident in United States of American, with Gmail Account bettyjoe338@gmail.com and induced one Joluko, a German Citizen, to send 370 Euros to you Via Gift Card and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the Penal Code."

Following his plea, the prosecuting counsel, Rashidat Alao, drew the attention of the court to a plea bargain agreement entered by the defendant with the commission.

Rashidat, then urged the court to consider the plea of guilt entered by the defendant, his extra-judicial statements and the uncontroverted testimonies of the sole prosecution witness to convict the defendant in line with the plea bargain agreement and the provisions of the law.

The trial judge, Justice Abdulgafar, in his judgement said that, "the court has found merit in the case brought by the prosecution". The judge convicted and sentenced Arowosegbe to six months imprisonment on each of the two counts to run concurrently at Mandala Correctional Centre, which should be suspended.

The judge said, "the convict is to forfeit the iPhone 11 used to perpetrate the crime and the sum of N300,000, which he benefited from the crime to the Federal Government of Nigeria.