The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday secured the conviction of two persons for offences bordering on cheating by personation, love scam and other internet related fraud.
The convicts are Abdulkareem Jamiu who claimed to be a farmer and one Zakariyha Ibrahim from Oyun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The duo of Jamiu and Ibrahim who were prosecuted before Justices Adenike Akinpelu and Sikiru Oyinloye respectively, pleaded guilty to their respective charge.
Following their guilty pleas, Innocent Mbachie and Aliyu Adebayo who prosecuted the cases on behalf of the Commission called a witness each to review the facts of the cases.
The witnesses who are operatives of the Commission, tendered the extra-judicial statements of the defendants, mobile phones and several fraudulent messages printed from their devices and were admitted in evidence.
The counsel told the courts to consider the plea of guilt entered by the defendants, the extra-judicial statements and all the exhibits tendered to convict them as charged.
The two Justices agreed that the EFCC had successfully established the cases against the defendants and pronounced each of them guilty.
Justice Akinpelu sentenced Jamiu to six months imprisonment with option of fine of N150,000 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira Only). The judge also ordered that one iphone XR which he used to perpetrate the crime and the sum of N7,333,192.8 (Seven Million, Three Hundred and Thirty-Seven Thousand, One Hundred and Ninety-Two Naira, Eight Kobo) which he benefited from his unlawful activities be forfeited to the Federal Government.
On the other hand, Justice Oyinloye sentenced Ibrahim to six months imprisonment with option of fine of N100, 000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira Only). The court ordered that convict’s infinix phone recovered from him at the point of arrest and the sum of fifty Canadian Dollars which he brought as restitution be forfeited to the Federal Government
