From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Seventeen internet fraudsters in Oyo and Ogun States have been convicted and sentenced to jail terms of one year in addition to two to nine months community service.
The Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured the convictions before four judges in the two states.
The judges are Justices Bayo Taiwo, Ladiran Akintola, and Mohammed Owolabi of the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan, the state capital, and Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu of Ogun State High Court, Abeokuta. They were convicted on a separate one-count charge each.
Head, Media and Publicity of the anti-graft agency, Wilson Uwujaren, said they all pleaded guilty to the one count charge filed against each one of them by the EFCC.
The convicts are Oduola Kunmi Ireola, Igbamidun Joshua Olamiposi, Ismael Fatai Olatunji, Osundele Oladapo Daniel, Olawale Isaac Adeleke, Olorunyomi Idowu Babatunde, Aneh Ojonimi, Olaide Iyanuoluwa Sadare, Akintola Babatunde Rasheed, Jamiu Babatunde Salam, Aluko Abayomi Oluwadamilare, Bello Ridwan Ayobami, Maleek Michael Ibrahim.
Arasi Oluwaseun Tobi, Ganiu Fawaz Olalekan, Bello Ayoinde Olamilekan and Abiodun Taiwo Kareem.
The prosecution counsel, Modupe Akinkoye, Oyelakin Oyediran, Oluwatoyin Owodunni, Musa Galadanchi, Abdulrasheed Suleiman, Mabas Mabur, and Samsudeen Bashir reviewed the facts of the cases and urged the courts to convict and sentence the defendants as charged.
Osundele was convicted and sentenced to one year imprisonment, while Arasi, Ganiu and Ibrahim bagged nine months jail term each. Also, Akintola was convicted and sentenced to nine months community service, Oduola, Jamiu, Aluko and Bello to six months community service each, while Igbamidun and Kareem bagged five months community service each.
Olatunji was convicted and sentenced to four months community service, Ayorinde to two months community service, while Olorunyomi, Ojonimi, and Sadare were convicted and fined N100, 000 each, Adeleke was fined N150,000.
Justice Bayo Taiwo ordered that Osundele Oladapo Daniel pay $16, 671 in restitution and forfeit one white Toyota Venza car worth N7 million to the Federal Government of Nigeria. Other convicts were also ordered to restitute their victims and forfeit all items recovered from them to the government.