A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has convicted two men for offences bordering on cybercrime and possession of proceeds of illegal activities.
The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission secured the conviction on Tuesday.
The convicts were Maruf Damilare, who claimed to be an Engineer from Ifedore Local Government Area of Osun State, and Lukman Olusanya, a POS operator from Remo North Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The presiding Judge, Justice Mahmud AbdulGafar sentenced the two defendants to various jail terms.
In his judgement, Justice AbdulGafar sentenced Damilare to three months in a correctional centre on Count 1, with option of fine of N250,000 and another six months on Count 2, with option of N500,000 fine.
The court ordered that one iPhone 12, which he used to perpetrate the crime, and the sum of $400 that he benefited from the illegal activities be forfeited to the Federal Government.
Similarly, Justice Abdulgafar sentenced Olusanya to six months in correctional centre with option of fine of N250,000.
The court ordered that the iPhones 11 and Apple MacBook laptop, which the convict used to perpetrate the crime, and the sum of $400 benefited from the crime be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The EFCC arraigned Damilare on a two-count charge of cheating by impersonation and possession of proceeds of unlawful activities, while Olusanya was prosecuted on one-count charge of impersonation.
Olusanya allegedly posed as one Lena Kincy on Facebook to scam his unsuspecting victim.
The defendants were arrested on April 22, 2022 at Agric Estate, Ilorin by operatives of the EFCC, following intelligence reports on the activities of some internet fraudsters operating in the area.
They both pleaded guilty to their respective charges.
The prosecutor, Rasheedat Alao, reviewed the facts of the cases.
Alao presented witnesses who are operatives of the commission and tendered the extrajudicial statements of the defendants, including the items recovered from them.
Thereafter, Alao urged the court to consider the guilty pleas, the extrajudicial statements of the defendants and all the exhibits tendered before it to convict the defendants as charged.
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