Court convicts 3 internet fraudsters arrested at Obasanjo library complex

The Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted three internet fraudsters who were arrested at a hotel located within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) complex in Ogun State.

Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, serving as a vacation judge, delivered the ruling on Monday after the defendants pleaded guilty to charges filed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

According to the EFCC, the fraudsters faced separate counts of false pretence, identity theft, and obtaining money under false pretences. The court sentenced them accordingly, reinforcing the commission’s ongoing crackdown on cybercrime across the country.

READ ALSO: Obasanjo library demands N3.5bn compensation, public apology over EFCC raid

However, the judge gave the convicts Adewale Adenekan, Oyatokun Qudus, and Adisa Okikiade the option of a fine instead of prison sentences.

After pleading guilty, Adenekan told the court that he had already paid his victim N200,000 as restitution.

While the EFCC prosecutor, John Yob, tendered an iPhone 14 Pro Max as evidence, the defence counsels accepted it without objection.

Yobo had alleged that the convict fraudulently impersonated a white woman from the United States of America on his Google account: 19374@gmail, with the intent to gain an advantage for yourself, thereby committing an offense contrary to and punishable under Section 22(2)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015.

In his judgment, Justice Dipeolu sentenced Adenekan to one month of imprisonment, with an option of a N300,000 fine.

In similar circumstances, the court sentenced Qudus to one month in prison with the same acceptable option after pleading guilty to a one-count fraud charge.

The EFCC had claimed that Qudus fraudulently represented himself on Instagram as Eric Melissa, a white female, with the intent to gain an advantage for yourself, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(2)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.

For his part, Okikiade received the same jail term and an acceptable option after he pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of obtaining money under false pretences.

The anti-graft agency had accused him of fraudulently posing as Anthony Krennoffencegle, to gain an advantage for himself, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015.