26-year-old man jailed two years for internet fraud

A Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State has sentenced a 26-year-old man, Olamilekan Olukayode, from Akure, Ondo State for internet fraud.

The conviction on Wednesday was secured by Ilorin Zonal Command of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The presiding Judge, Justice Muhammed Sani, sentenced Olukayode to one year in prison each on count one and count two, with an option of N300,000 on each count.

He also ordered the forfeiture of one iPhone 12, Infinix 65, HP laptop and Mercedes Benz ML 350 recovered from the convict at the point of arrest to the Federal Government.

The convict was among the 30 suspected internet fraudsters arrested in Ado-Ekiti on April 26, 2022 during a sting operation at the state capital, following intelligence reports on the activities of fraudsters in the area.

Investigation into the matter revealed that Olukayode, who currently does not have a definite job, specialise in internet fraud and had benefited several millions of naira from his fraudulent activities.

It also revealed that part of the proceeds of the crime was used to purchase a Mercedes Benz ML 350 worth N13 million.

The defendant pleaded guilty to the charges preferred against him.

Following his guilty plea, counsel to EFCC, Sesan Ola, reviewed the facts of the case.

He tendered the extrajudicial statements of the defendant, phones, HP laptop and the car recovered from him at the point of arrest as well as the fraudulent messages printed from his devices, which were admitted in evidence.

Ola urged the court to convict the defendant in line with his guilty plea and the exhibits tendered before it.