Four persons have been convicted of internet fraud by the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin, the state capital on Tuesday.
They were sentenced to one year jail term each.
The convicts are; Atanda Femi Benjamin, Sadiku Muniru Dolapo, Olapade Oladimeji Solomon and Atoyebi Samson.
Ilorin zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had charged the convicts to court on offences bordering on internet fraud and other fraud related offences.
The charge against the defendants before their conviction reads:That you, Sadiku Muniru Dolapo (Alias Candace Shelly), sometime in 2018, at Ilorin, within the judicial division of the High Court, while acting as Candace Shelly a white Caucasian: with G-mail account [email protected] cheat by fraudulently inducing one Terry Rikerd in delivering to you sum of N2,800,000.00 (Two Million Eight Hundred Thousand Naira) which you converted to Naira and lodged in your Guaranty Trust Bank account N0:0165061811 under the guise of being in a romantic relationship and stranded in Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 320 of the Penal Code and punishable under section 322 of the Penal Code.
“That you, Atoyebi Samson (William Grover), sometime in July 2019, in Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this honourable Court did cheat by personation when you pretended to be one William Grover a white female with Gmail account [email protected], and fraudulently deceived Charles wood an American Citizen, to send $500.00(Two Hundred Dollar) worth of gift card after you made him believe you were a girl in love with him and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under section 324 of the same Penal Code”
In her judgement, Justice Adenike Akinpelu said; “the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses in the matter were not challenged nor contradicted by the accused persons even when the court gave them liberty to do so.”
“This honourable court is of the view that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt against the accused persons, this Court found you guilty of the offence of cheating by impersonation and hereby convicted accordingly.”
Justice Akinpelu also ordered that an expensive car, laptops and mobile phones recovered from the convicts be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria. She added that the sentence is without an option of fine.
