Ekiti man jailed six months for attempted Cyber fraud in Kwara

By Arowona Abdulazeez, Ilorin

The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 secured the conviction of one Adeshina Michael Oluwafemi from Ekiti State, South West, Nigeria for posing to be a white man in order to defraud his unsuspecting victims.

Adeshina was convicted and sentenced to six months imprisonment by Justice Adenike Akinpelu of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin, after the judge found him guilty of one count charge levelled against him by the anti-graft agency.

The charge reads:

“That you, Adeshina Michael Oluwafemi (a.k,a Viki Ron) Sometime in May 2020 or thereabout at Ilorin, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court attempted to commit an offence of cheating by personation by pretending and representing yourself to be a white man called Viki Ron who was in relationship with a white Woman, Carol Richard as it is contained in your gmail account: ronv553@gmail.comand thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 95 of the Penal Code Laws of Northern Nigeria”

The defendant pleaded guilty when the charge was read to him.

Following his guilty plea, counsel to the EFCC, Aliyu Adebayo, called a witness who is an operative of the EFCC to review the facts of the case. The witness narrated how the defendant was arrested based on credible intelligence. The witness tendered the defendant’s Hauwel Phone, fraudulent messages printed from his device as well as his extra-judicial statements and were admitted in evidence.

Adebayo, thereafter urged the court to consider the plea of the defendant, the extra-judicial statements and all the exhibits tendered and hold that the prosecution has proved its case and convict the defendant as charged.

In his judgement, Justice Akinpelu said the court was satisfied with the case of the prosecution and pronounced Adeshina guilty of the charge.

The judge sentenced the defendant to six months imprisonment with option of fine of N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira Only). The court also ordered the forfeiture of the convict’s Hauwel Phone which was used to perpetrate the crime to the Federal Government.