By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of two persons over offences bordering on internet fraud before Justice Adebayo Yusuf and Justice Adenike Akinpelu of the Kwara State High Courts sitting in Ilorin.

The convicts are Abubakar Habeeb from Amoyo in Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State and Oke Ibukun Oyebisi from Osogbo, the Osun State Capital.

Abubakar was prosecuted before Justice Yusuf for breaching Section 319 (a) of Penal Code, while Oke was charged before Justice Akinpelu for contravening Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.

Specifically, the charge against Abubakar reads: “That you, Abubakar Habeeb sometime between January and March, 2023, at Ilorin, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did knowingly had under your control the gross sum of N429,000.00 (Four Hundred and Twenty Nine Thousand Naira) deposited in your First Bank PLC. account No: 3189338140, Which is reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 319 (a) of Penal Code.”

On the other hand, particulars of the charge against Oke read: “That you, Oke Ibukun Oyebisi, sometime in September, 2019 in Ilorin within the Jurisdiction of this Honorable Court with intent to defraud, did obtain the sum of $150.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Dollars) from one Robert Kirkland, a citizen of the United State of America, under the pretence that you are Nancy Julius, a citizen of United State of America who is in love with him, a pretence which you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud.and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and Punishable under Section 1 (3) of same Act.”

Upon arraignment on October 23, 2023, the defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges.

Sesan Ola and Andrew Akoja, who prosecuted the cases on behalf of the EFCC narrated the circumstances that led to the arrest of the defendants and tendered their extra judicial statements as well as exhibits recovered from them at the point of arrest, which were admitted in evidence.

The EFCC lawyers thereafter urged the court to consider the guilty pleas by the defendants and the uncontroverted exhibits tendered to convict the defendants as charged.

In his judgment, Justice Yusuf sentenced Abubakar to six months imprisonment with option of N50,000 (Fifty Thousand Naira Only) and ordered the forfeiture of the convict’s HP laptop recovered at the point of arrest to the Federal Government.

Similarly, Justice Akinpelu sentenced Oke to six months imprisonment with option of fine of N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira Only). The judge also ordered that one iphone XR and the sum $250 (Two Hundred and Fifty United States Dollars), which the convict benefited from the unlawful activities be forfeited to the Federal Government.