Ilorin, Nigeria — A final-year polytechnic student, Olaitan Abdulwahab Damilare, and three others were on Monday convicted and sentenced for internet-related fraud offences by two Justices of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ilorin Zonal Command, arraigned the defendants — Olaitan Abdulwahab, Maruf Quadri Kolawole, Habeeb Abiodun Jimoh, and Mubarak Moruf — on separate charges of impersonation and obtaining under false pretences, contrary to Sections 321 and 324 of the Penal Code.
In a statement released Tuesday by EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, it was disclosed that Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar sentenced Olaitan, a 25-year-old Higher National Diploma student of Quantity Surveying, to six months in prison. He was found guilty of impersonating a white woman named “Fav” to defraud a foreign national of $2,100 in gift cards.
Maruf and Habeeb were also convicted by Justice Abdulgafar and handed six-month sentences each for similar offences. Maruf was found guilty of impersonating “Frank Matt” on Facebook to obtain AUD 950, while Habeeb defrauded another victim of $365.
The fourth defendant, Mubarak Moruf, was sentenced by Justice Sulaiman Akanbi to one year in prison, with an option of a ₦400,000 fine. He was also ordered to forfeit his iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 7, and $300 to the Federal Government.
The EFCC prosecution team, led by Aliyu Adebayo and Mustapha Kaigama, presented evidence including defendants’ statements, seized devices, and partial restitutions made at the time of arrest. The court admitted all materials and found the defendants guilty.
All convicted individuals were ordered to forfeit various devices and proceeds from their fraudulent activities, including multiple smartphones and laptops, to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
