Court convicts 28yr-old fraudster in Kwara

Justice Adenike Akinpelu of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has sentenced a 28-year old Electrician, Oyeniran Olamilekan, over offences bordering on internet fraud and romance scam.

ROYAL NEWS reports that the convict was prosecuted on one count charge by the Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

He initially lied to the Commission about his identity claiming that his name was Adeniyi Olamilekan whereas his real name is Oyeniran Olamilekan.

Oyeniran was among the 33 internet fraud suspects arrested in Offa, Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State on September 15, 2020.

The charge against him reads:

“That you, Oyeniran Olamilekan (Mike Johnson), sometime between June 2020, in Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did cheat by personation when you pretended to be Mike Johnson a white female with gmail account mikejohnson2058@gmail.com, and fraudulently deceived one Bill Irvin to send $1,100.00 (One Thousand, One Hundred Dollars) to you through gift cards after you made him believe you were a girl in love with him and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the same Penal Code.”

Following his “guilty plea” on Monday February 15, 2021 when he was arraigned by the anti-graft agency, the facts of the case were reviewed and the court adjourned to today for judgment.

Delivering judgment today, Justice Akinpelu said the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubts, saying “the defendant is hereby convicted as charged.”

After listening to the allocutos by the defence counsel, A.A Usman, the judge said, “in order to serve as deterrent to others, the convict is hereby sentenced to six months imprisonment with an option of fine of N300,000.00 ( Three Hundred Thousand Naira Only).

The draft of N180,000 ( One Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira Only) brought by the convict as restitution and the phone recovered from him, being the instrument used in perpetrating the crime were also forfeited to the Federal Government.