Crime

EFCC Secures Conviction of Six Internet Fraudsters

By Web News 767

The Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, secured the conviction of six internet fraudsters on charges bordering on fraudulent impersonation.

Five of the convicts – Ahmed Oguneye Abiona, Owoade Kehinde Elijah, Oriade Sunday Oluwatobiloba, Usman Adams Shehu, and Waris Adegoke Adeyemo – were prosecuted before Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of the Federal High Court, Oshogbo, Osun State, while David Fatunla Taiwo (aka Jeff Wood), was prosecuted before Justice Babs Kuewunmi of the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.

They pleaded guilty to their respective one-count charges and were convicted accordingly.

Abiona, Adeyemo and Shehu bagged four months each, Owoade three months, while Oriade was sentenced to five months imprisonment. Taiwo was slammed with twenty months imprisonment.

The court also ordered the defendants to restitute their victims.

Oriade is to restitute his victim the sum of five hundred and ninety United States Dollars.

He was equally ordered to forfeit an iPhone XR, one Samsung S5 mobile phone and one Acer Laptop to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Ahmed is to restitute to one Michael Johnson the sum of five hundred United States Dollars and further forfeit the sum of three million, thirteen thousand, seven naira, thirty-nine kobo 3,013,007.39 found in his United Bank of Africa Account, an iPhone 11 Pro Max mobile phone and one Toyota Camry car to the Federal Government of Nigeria, being proceeds of his crime.

Adeyemo was ordered to return the sum of three hundred United States Dollars to one Peter Decker and forfeit one iPhone 11 Pro Max to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Shehu is to restitute his victim the sum of four hundred United States Dollars and forfeit one Samsung Galaxy S8 to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Owoade was ordered to restitute his victim the sum of three hundred United States Dollars and forfeit an iPhone 6 mobile phone to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Taiwo was ordered to restitute his victim, one Joanne K. Thornhill, the sum of four hundred and fifty Pounds through the Federal government of Nigeria. 

Wilson Uwujaren

Head, Media & Publicity 27 January 2022

Crime

EFCC Secures Thirteen Convictions in Ibadan, Osogbo

By Web News 1336

The Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured thirteen convictions before different Justices of the Federal and State High Courts in Ibadan and Osogbo, the capital cities of Oyo and Osun States.

The convicts are Abiodun Babatunde Sowunmi, Adeyemi Babatunde Hammed, Abeeb Abiola Badmus, Adebayo Akorede Saheed, Ganiyu Qudus Olawale and Omolade Ayemidotun Moses.

Others are Taofeeq Toheeb Atanda, Oyekanmi Qudus Oyewale, Alabi Ifeoluwa Olamide, B.T.D Multi global Limited, Adewuyi Adetoun, Owolabi Toheeb Tolulope and Taiwo Shedrack Akpoyen.

The convicts were prosecuted on separate charges.

Justice Uche Agomoh of Federal High Court, Ibadan, found Sowunmi, Olawale, Omolade and Badmus guilty of the offence of impersonation contrary to Section 22 (2)(b)(1) Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22 (2)(b) of the same Act. 

While Sowunmi and Olawale were sentenced to ten months imprisonment each, Omolade and Badmus bagged nine and six months imprisonment each.

Similarly, Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan, convicted Alabi, Atanda, Oyekanmi, Adeyemi and Adebayo on separate charges of obtaining property by false pretence contrary to Section 419 of the Criminal Code Cap 38 Laws of Oyo State, 2000.

The judge sentenced Alabi to a term of three months of community service, while Atanda, Adeyemi, Adebayo and Oyekanmi bagged two months of community service each.

In the same vein, Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of Federal High Court sitting in Oshogbo found B.T.D Multiglobal Limited guilty of counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 preferred against them by the EFCC.

Trouble started sometime in December 2017 when the Commission received a petition alleging B.T.D Multiglobal Limited and Adewumi fraudulent misappropriated 1billion naira, received from about 8,000 investors.

The court, while ordering the revocation of the certificate of incorporation of the company, ordered that the Corporate Affairs Commission should windup the company.

According to the judge, “the proceeds therefrom as well as the sum of 32million naira recovered in the course of the investigation should be used to pay the investors”.

The judge also found Adewuyi, who claimed to be 20 years old and a student of the Federal University of Technology; Akure as at the time the offence was committed guilty of counts 1 and 2 and imposed a prison term of three years on each of the two counts, to run concurrently.

In the same token, Justice Ayo-Emmanuel sentenced Akpoyen to ten months imprisonment over fraudulent impersonation, while ordering a prison term of six years on Owolabi for impersonation and possession of documents.

The convicts are to restitute their various victims and forfeit the items recovered from them to the Federal Government.

Wilson Uwujaren

Head, Media & Publicity

23 November, 2021

Crime

Court Convicts Seven for Cyber-Fraud in Ibadan

By Web News 1331

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan Zonal Command, on November 15, 2021, secured the conviction of seven internet fraudsters before Justice Uche Agomoh of the Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Ogun State.

The convicts are Williams Ikechukwu Williams, Aizoba Opeyemi Stephen, Damilare Godwin Asore, Basit Oladeji Bamidele, Babajide Oluwapelumi Bolaji, Abayomi Stephen Aderohunmu and Oladokun Tobi Oladimeji.

They were all convicted after pleading guilty to one count separate charge of fraudulently impersonating some foreigners, contrary to Section 22 (2) (b) (i) and punishable under Section 22 (2) (b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015.

Justice Agomoh sentenced Asore to ten months imprisonment; Oladokun and Babajide were jailed nine months each; Aderohunmu seven months; Williams and Aizoba bagged five months each, while Basit received one-month prison term.

In addition to the jail terms, Oladokun was ordered to restitute his victim, Darlene Miller, the sums of $2,350USD (Two Thousand Three Hundred and Fifty United States Dollars) and N565, 369.97(Five Hundred and Sixty-five Thousand Three Hundred and Sixty-nine Naira Ninety-seven kobo) domiciled in his bank account.

Aderohunmu was ordered by the court to pay the sums of $700USD (Seven Hundred United States Dollars), N350, 058:52 (Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Fifty-eight Naira Fifty-two Kobo) domiciled in his Wema Bank account and N4, 860:54 (Four Thousand Eight Hundred and Sixty Naira, Fifty-four Kobo) domiciled in his Polaris Bank account as restitution to his victim, Davida Henderson.

Aizoba was ordered to restitute his victim, Jahneda Thea, the sum of $1,000USD (One Thousand United States Dollars).

Williams and Basit were ordered to return the sums of $1,600USD (One Thousand Six Hundred United States Dollars) and $880USD (Eight Hundred and Eighty United States Dollars) as restitution to their victims through the Federal Government.

Wilson Uwujaren

Head, Media & Publicity 16 November 2021