The EFCC has secured convictions for 39 individuals involved in internet fraud. Read about the latest crackdown on cybercrime
The Ibadan Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has achieved a major triumph over cybercrime by successfully prosecuting 39 individuals who were implicated in online fraud. They have now been convicted and sentenced accordingly.
Justices O.S. Adeyemi, Bayo Taiwo, and Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan presided over the trial of the convicts.
Every person was charged with a single count, which included charges such as impersonation, cheating, possession of fraudulent documents and obtaining goods or services through deceitful means.
Fasanya Abdulqudus Gbolahan, Nkiri Oluchukwu Destiny, Fakoya Tobi Samuel and 36 others were among those found guilty.
Although the charges varied, they all shared a common connection: involvement in internet-based offenses that frequently entailed deception or impersonation to swindle unsuspecting victims. A majority of these individuals were situated overseas.
Onah Austine Ayomide was convicted of assuming the false identity of Linda Mary, a white woman from the United States, on Facebook for fraudulent purposes.
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Ayomide’s motive was to cheat Clifton Deininger, a citizen of America. Such action is against the law as stated in Section 484 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
Each of the individuals who were accused pleaded guilty to their specific charges. As a result, the prosecution presented evidence and asked for suitable sentences.
The courts reacted with an array of penalties, encompassing community service and incarceration to monetary charges.
Onah Austine Ayomide was ordered by Justice Adeyemi to undertake a year of community service or pay a fine amounting to N200,000. Tunde and other offenders were given the option of either serving one month in prison or paying fines worth N250,000.
As a measure of the gravity of their offenses, numerous offenders were assigned community service obligations coupled with extra penalties. For instance, Damilola was directed to surrender any vehicles employed in his deceitful schemes to the Federal Government.
Depending on the specific charges and discretion of the judges, sentences differed. As an example, Taoreed Abidoun was sentenced to three months imprisonment by Justice Taiwo while Mujeeb received a jail term of four months.
In the meantime, Justice Akintola imposed a variety of punishments which included imprisonment for some offenders lasting one year and fines that differed according to the gravity of their transgressions.
The apprehension and subsequent conviction of these individuals signify a noteworthy milestone in the war against cybercrime within Nigeria. The EFCC’s unwavering pursuit to clamp down on online deceit have yielded justifiable results by bringing these culprits to book, which sends out a strong warning message to potential perpetrators contemplating following their footsteps.
The agency’s dedication to combat corruption and cybercrime was reinforced when all the possessions confiscated from the convicts during their apprehension were decreed as forfeited to the Federal Government.
