Court convicts three over cyber fraud in Ilorin

A Kwara State High Court, sitting in Ilorin, has convicted three persons for cyber fraud.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had prosecuted  the convicts – Samson Adeniyi, Somtochukwu Ezekuse  and Oluwapelumi Nwazei.

In his judgment, Justice Mahmud AbdulGafar found the three convicts guilty on each of the two counts bordering on cyber fraud levelled against them.

The court sentenced each of them to six months jail term on each of the counts, which are expected to run concurrently.

However, Adeniyi, a 300 Level undergraduate in one of the universities in the country, had his sentence suspended until the completion of his examination.

AbdulGafar, however, held that Adeniyi should forfeit the 300 dollars found in his possession to the Federal Government, said to be part of the proceed of the crime.

The judge also ordered the forfeiture of Somtochukwu’s iphone 11, which was used to perpetrate the crime, and a manager’s cheque of N261,000, should be raised as restitution to the victim.

Justice AbdulGafar also ordered that  a sum of 500 dollars, which Somtochukwu benefited from the crime, should be forfeited to the FG.

In addition, the judge ordered the forfeiture of Oluwapelumi’s iphone 11 and a Dell Laptop, used to perpetrate the crime.

He also ordered the forfeiture of the sum of 170 dollars, which the convict benefited from the crime, to the Federal Government.

Earlier at their arraignment, the three men had pleaded guilty to the charges preferred against them.

The prosecution counsel, Rashidat Alao, therefore urged the court to consider the admittance of guilt by the defendants, the uncontroverted evidence and the plea bargain made to convict them.