Justice Mahmoud Abdulgafar of Kwara State High court sitting in Ilorin, has convicted and sentenced a 26-year-old for
Justice Mahmoud Abdulgafar of Kwara State High court sitting in Ilorin, has convicted and sentenced a 26-year-old forex trader, Kolawole Temidayo Joshua, and two others to various jail terms for Internet fraud.
The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC,) had on Monday, October 10, arraigned the trio on separate charges of one-count each before the state High court in Ilorin.
Joshua, who came from Igosun in Oyun Local Council of Kwara State, was convicted alongside Abdullahi Isiak from Bode Saadu in Moro Local Council, and one Daniel Roland Orji.
Findings revealed that Joshua had been living a false life of a footballer, football kits dealer as well as dealer in dogs.
In the extrajudicial statement, he confessed to be into Internet fraud out of which he had benefited various large sums of money.
The charge against Joshua reads: “That you, Kolawole Temidayo Joshua, sometime between April and May, 2023, at Ilorin within the Judicial Division of the High Court, did cheat by personation, when you pretended to be one Mia Phillips vide your google voice account: [email protected], and induced one Daniel Murphy a.k.a “Wagba Wealth” and Danny, to part with gross sum of $400 through Gift Cards, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the Penal Code.”
For Isak, it read: “That you, Abdullahi Isiak, sometime in 2020, in Ilorin, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did attempt to cheat by impersonation when you pretended to be a white female via google voice account linked to email address: [email protected], which you used to communicate with one Sandra Williams, who resides in the United States of America in order to induce and part with her property, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 95 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 324 of the same law”.
Particulars of the charge against Orji were: “That you, Daniel Roland Orji, sometime in November, 2022 in Ilorin with the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did cheat by personation when you pretended to be Eric Benson a resident of United State of America with Gmail account [email protected] fraudulently deceived one Sophia Linklater to send $250.00 with impression that you were in a relationship with him and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code punishment under Section 324 of the same Penal Code”.
The defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges, prompting the court to adjourn for judgment.
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, the prosecuting counsel, Muinat Bello and Isabel Adeniran while reviewing the facts of the cases, narrated the circumstances that led to the arrest of the defendants.
They also tendered exhibits, including phones, extra judicial statements and money as restitutions by the defendants, which were admitted in evidence.
Thereafter, they urged the court to admit that the prosecution had proved the essential ingredients of the crime to warrant the defendants’ conviction.
In his judgment, Justice Abdulgafar, found the defendants guilty and convicted them as charged.
The judge sentenced Kolawole to six months imprisonment with option of N500,000 fine and ordered that one iPhone 12 and $200 be forfeited to the federal government.
The court also sentenced Isak to six months imprisonment to be suspended, and ordered that his iPhone 12 ProMax used as an instrument of crime be forfeited to the Federal Government.
Also, Justice Abdulgafar sentenced Orji to six months imprisonment with an option of N150,000 fine, while his iPhone 6 and $250 were forfeited to the Federal Government as well.
guardian.ng
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