Final-Year Student, Three Others Jailed for Internet Fraud in Ilorin
A final-year student of a polytechnic in Kwara State, Olaitan Abdulwahab, alongside three others, has been sentenced to various jail terms by a Kwara State High Court for offences related to internet fraud.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ilorin Zonal Command, arraigned the four individuals, before Justices Mahmud Abdulgafar and Sulaiman Akanbi, where they all pleaded guilty to separate charges of cheating by impersonation and obtaining money under false pretence.
Olaitan, 25, a Higher National Diploma student of Quantity Surveying, was sentenced to six months in prison. He was found guilty of posing online as a white woman named “Fav” to deceive a foreign victim, Michael, into sending gift cards worth $2,100. The court also ordered the forfeiture of his iPhone XR, a Samsung phone, and $2,000 to the Federal Government.
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In a similar case, Maruf Quadri Kolawole was convicted for impersonating one “Frank Matt” on Facebook to defraud an individual of 950 Australian dollars. He was also handed a six-month sentence and forfeited his iPhone 13 Pro Max and $950.
Another convict, Habeeb Abiodun Jimoh, was jailed for six months and ordered to forfeit an iPhone 14 Pro Max, an HP laptop, and $365.
In a separate ruling, Justice Akanbi sentenced Mubarak Moruf to one year in prison or a fine of N400,000. The court also directed the forfeiture of his iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 7, and $300 to the Federal Government.
The EFCC said it secured the convictions after presenting evidence including the defendants’ confessional statements, devices recovered during arrest, and cash restitution brought to court.
