Kwara Court Jails Duo for Unlicensed BDC Operations and Cybercrime
Two men identified as Abubakar Suleiman Lawal Farauq were convicted and sentenced to various prison terms on Tuesday for operating a Bureau De Change business without a valid licence and committing cybercrime offences in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court in Ilorin delivered the verdict after both defendants pleaded guilty to separate one-count charges filed by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The charge against Suleiman reads:
“That you, Abubakar Suleiman, sometime in May, 2024 at Chikanda Market, Yashikira District, Baruten Local Government Area, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did carry on other financial business to wit: Bureau De Change Business without a valid licence issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria contrary to Section 57 (5) of the Bank and other Financial Institutions Act, 2020 and punishable under Section 57 (5) (B) of the Act”
The charge against Farauq reads:
“That you, Lawal Farauq sometime in September 2023 within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, fraudulently impersonated one Johanna Smith via your messenger account with intent to obtain money from one Mark Dewitt which you did obtain the sum of Seventy Dollars and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22 (2) of Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22 (2) (b)(iv) of the same Act”
The defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges when they were read to them.
Following their guilty pleas, EFCC prosecutor Aliyu Adebayo and Andrew Akoja, through witnesses who are investigators in the Commission presented evidence, including extra-judicial statements and monetary exhibits recovered at the time of their arrests.
Satisfied that the prosecution had sufficiently proven the cases, Justice Awogboro convicted the defendants and sentenced them to various jail terms.
The judge sentenced Suleiman to 300 hours of community service at five hours per day, ordering him to report to the court with a discharge certificate upon completion. Additionally, the court ordered the final forfeiture of CFA 3,360,000; N220,000, and N71,000 in counterfeit Naira notes to the government
In the same vein, Farauq bagged 200 hours of community service at five hours per day. The court also ordered the forfeiture of an iPhone 6s Plus used to commit the crime and the $70 he fraudulently obtained.
The two convicts bagged their imprisonment when they were arrested by operatives of the EFCC for internet fraud. They were charged to court and convicted.
Cloud Tag: What's trending
Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.
Dele Belgore Umar Bayo Abdulwahab Bashirat Bola Bello Lawal Olohungbebe Sarafadeen Kayode Akorede Alimi Garba Ayodele Wahab Iyiola Oyedepo Abdul-Rasheed Na\'Allah Jeunkunu-Malete-Bani Yusuf Lanre Badmas Afetu Of Alabe Chief Imam Of Offa Ibrahim Oloriegbe Mukhtar Shagaya Abdullahi Dasilva Yussuf Yahaya Seriki First Lady Omar Bolaji Gambari Hamidu Olowo Amos Bajeh Rashidi Yekini Kwara 2019 Ayeyemi Sulaiman Daud Adeshola Sobi Hill Muhammed Akanbi Olatunde Jare Arinola Fatimoh Lawal Mary Kemi Adeosun Alao Ayotunde Abdulrauf Aliyu 2023 Elections Kwara State Polytechnic Idris Garuba Kale Kawu Mutawali Of Ilorin Kwara State Internal Revenue Service Tosin Saraki Aliyu U. Tilde Isau United Nigeria Congress Party Afusat Nike Ibrahim IsDB Adam Abdullahi Al-Ilory Amuda Aluko Titus Suberu-Ajibola Volunteers Of Ilorin Community And The Emirate AbdulHakeem Ajibola Akanbi Universal Basic Education Commission Ajibola Saliu Ajia Local Government Pension Board Ibrahim Labaika Modupe Oluwole Onilorin Henry Makinwa Col. Adedipe PPS Muhammad Mustapha Suleiman Maryam Nurudeen Joana Nnazua Kolo Oniyangi Yusuf AbdulRasheed Arinola Lawal Moses Adekanye Okin High School Wale Oladepo Moses Rahman Popoola Samuel Adaramola Javed Khan Abdulmutalib Shittu Ilorin West/Asa Federal Constituency Damilola Yusuf Adelodun Gbemisola Saraki Ojuekun Sarumi KWATMA Waheed Ibrahim

