Justice N. E. Maha of the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja on Wednesday convicted one Ojo Ayomide for internet fraud and sentenced him to three months imprisonment.
Ayomide’s road to jail began when operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission investigated his alleged involvement in internet fraud.
The 22-year-old accounting undergraduate of the Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State was charged with one-count bordering on cybercrime.
The charge reads: “That you, Ojo Olarewaju Ayomide, sometime in 2019 at Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State impersonates Scot, a Civil Engineer based in Miami, Florida, USA with intent to gain advantage for himself and thereby committed on offence contrary to section 22(2)(b)(ii)of the Cybercrimes Prohibition (Prevention) Act 2015 and punishable under section 22 (2)(b)(iv)of the same law.”
He pleaded “guilty” to the charge when it was read to him.
Counsel for the EFCC, Maryam Hayatudeen, thereafter informed the court of a plea bargain agreement with the defence and urged the trial court to adopt same.
Defence counsel, Charles Abalaka, raised no objections and pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy.
“He will not repeat the offence again and will not go back to any crime,” Abalaka assured.
In convicting him, the trial judge gave him an option of fine of N200,000, ordered him to “depose to an affidavit of undertaking to be of good behaviour” and ruled that all items recovered from him, including a Samsung Galaxy S9, should be forfeited to the Federal Government.
Trending
- Man in police net for allegedly beating wife to death in Lagos
- Omah Lay, four other Nigerians to headline at Forbes Under 30 Africa summit
- Court remands man, 45, over alleged indecent assault of four-year-old girl
- Abducted FirstNews Editor: Let’s protect free press, let’s protect our democracy against military misconduct – NUJ, NGE, IPI
- Man docked for allegedly stealing truck head valued N3m
- The Okuama Dead: Story behind the grief, by Azu Ishiekwene
- New study reveals only one in 10 global workers have in-demand AI skills
- Man, 27, arraigned for allegedly raping a 20-year-old woman