Court Sentences 39 Internet Fraudsters in Oyo State
In a battle against internet fraud, operatives from the Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested 39 individuals suspected of involvement in online scams. The operation, which took place in Oyo State, has led to a series of court proceedings with various sentences issued.
The suspects appeared before Justices O.S. Adeyemi, Bayo Taiwo, and Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court, all based in Ibadan. Each individual faced separate one-count charges ranging from impersonation and cheating to possession of fraudulent documents and obtaining by false pretenses.
The court cases highlighted a range of fraudulent activities. For example, Austine Ayomide was charged with impersonating a white woman named Linda Mary to defraud Clifton Deininger from the United States. Ayomide was sentenced to one year of community service or a fine of N200,000.
Other notable sentences included Tunde, One month in jail or a fine of N250,000. Abeeb Ayomide, Adeleke, Babatunde, Biodun, Oyindamola, Oluwatobi, Olatunbosun, Uche, Akinyimika, Adisa, Olashile, and Adeniran: Six months of community service each, with fines ranging from N50,000 to N500,000.
Sijuola, One month of community service or a fine of N100,000 alongside Olatunde and Opemiposi, Three months of community service without a fine option.
Justices Taiwo and Akintola also handed down sentences for other suspects: Taoreed Abidoun, Three months imprisonment. Mujeeb: Four months in jail. Olasunkanmi and Abideen, Six months community service each, plus N150,000 fines.
In addition to their sentences, several convicts were ordered to forfeit assets linked to their fraudulent activities: Damilola: A green Nissan Micra, Emmanuel: A black Lexus IS 250 and Justice: A black Toyota Corolla.
Others, such as Idris and David, were sentenced to six months of community service or fines. Ridwan and John received three months of community service or alternative fines.
The EFCC has also recovered various items from the convicts, which have been forfeited to the Federal Government.
