The Kwara State High Court has imprisoned four individuals for internet fraud.
On Monday, December 9, 2024, two separate court sessions resulted in convictions of multiple cybercrime offenders. The cases, prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), involved elaborate schemes of online deception targeting international victims.
Akanbi Akorede Afeez, a student, was sentenced to two years in prison for fraudulently inducing a foreign victim to send gift cards worth $551 by posing as a white woman in a romantic relationship. As part of his sentence, Afeez was also ordered to clean the court premises for two weeks and forfeit his iPhone 14 Pro Max and HP laptop.
Three additional defendants – Oladejo Ibrahim Abiodun, Yusuf Adewale Gbadeyan, and Adeoye David Oluwatimileyin – were also convicted on separate charges of online fraud. Each defendant used various false identities to manipulate victims into sending money under the pretence of romantic relationships.
The sentence details varied.
Abiodun received a one-year sentence or a N400,000 fine, with the forfeiture of an iPhone 13 Pro and $100.
Gbadeyan was sentenced to six months imprisonment or a N300,000 fine, with the forfeiture of $300 and two mobile phones.
Oluwatimileyin was given eight months imprisonment or a N250,000 fine, with the forfeiture of $300 and an iPhone 12.
Justices Suleiman Akanbi and Haleema Saleeman presided over the cases, with prosecutors Rasheedat Alao and Victoria Igbodo presenting evidence of the criminal activities of the defendants.
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