Kwara Court Jails Student Nine Months For Internet Fraud

Justice Mahmood Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has sentenced one Oladipo Juwon to nine months imprisonment for his involvement in an internet scam.

Juwon, a 23-year-old HND 1 Student of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa in Kwara was sentenced on Thursday, the spokesman for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement.

He was arraigned by the Ilorin Zonal Office of the anti-graft agency on three counts bordering on cheating and an attempt to cheat contrary to and punishable under Section 324 of Penal Code Law of Kwara State.

Count one of the charges read, “That you, Oladipo Opeyemi Juwon, sometime in the month of March 2019, in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did cheat by personation, by portraying yourself as a white female named Frank Tinna via your email address franktinna66@gmail.com to one Bernard Fontenot and induced him to send you the sum of $235 United States Dollars vide gift cards, a representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 324 of the Penal Code and punishable under the same section of the Law.”

When the charges were read to him, Oladipo pleaded guilty to the counts.

Following his plea, an operative of the EFCC, Enoch Onyedikachi, was called into the witness box to review the facts of the case.

Onyedikachi, while being led in evidence counsel to the EFCC, Andrew Akoja, told the court how the crime was perpetrated.

He said, “On the 7th of September 2020, the EFCC, Ilorin Zonal Office received an anonymous petition from some concerned citizens in Offa about the activities of some internet fraudsters in the area.

“The Commission swiftly placed surveillance on the area. Consequently, on the 14th of September, we raided the place leading to the arrest of the defendant and other suspects. Upon arrest, we recovered an iPhone from the defendant.”

“The defendant was brought to our Office on the 15th of September, 2020. We gave him a computer attestation form, which he filled.

“We analysed his phone and email address. Our findings revealed that the defendant was into internet fraud – a fact he admitted to in writing,” the EFCC operative told the court.

In his judgment, Justice Abdulgafar said, “I have considered the totality of the evidence placed before me; the plea of the defendant, the exhibits tendered, the uncontradicted and unchallenged testimonies of the sole prosecution witness, Enoch Onyedikachi, I hold the view that the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubts.”

“This court finds you, Oladipo Opeyemi Juwon guilty as charged. I hereby sentence you to three months imprisonment on count 1 with an option of fine of N100,000, three months imprisonment on count two with an option of fine of N100,000. and three months imprisonment on count three with N50,000 as an option of fine,” he added.

According to the judge, the sentence will commence on December 23 in view of the ongoing examinations at the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, involving the convict.

He also ordered the convict to forfeit his mobile phones and restitute his victims.