Babatunji Wusu –
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The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the EFCC secured convictions against 11 individuals charged with internet fraud and related cybercrimes.
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Mathew Yaba, a 20-year-old electrician, was sentenced to nine months imprisonment without an option of fine for impersonation and retention of criminal proceeds totaling over ₦7.3 million.
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The charges against all defendants were based on their guilty pleas, supported by evidence including extrajudicial statements, recovered assets, and restitution payments.
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Other convicts received sentences ranging from community service to imprisonment from six to twelve months, alongside forfeiture of phones and sums of money linked to crimes.
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Justice Abimbola Awogboro and Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar presided over the prosecutions, affirming the EFCC’s effort to clamp down on cybercrime in Kwara State and environs.
The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has successfully obtained convictions against 11 persons involved in internet fraud and cybercrime activities within Kwara State and its environs. Among those sentenced was Mathew Yaba, a 20-year-old electrician convicted of impersonating an individual named Raleigh Jredd and unlawfully retaining ₦7,384,750 through a Kuda Bank account. Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court, Ilorin, handed down a nine-month jail term without the option of a fine and ordered the forfeiture of Yaba’s iPhone 13 and ₦200,000 restitution to the federal government.
Other convicted individuals, including Samuel Stephen Ayomide and Bamidele Olajide, were similarly sentenced to imprisonment terms between six and twelve months without the option of fine. Ayomide was involved in defrauding a victim of $922 through false representation on the Telegram platform, leading to a nine-month jail sentence and forfeiture of $535 and an iPhone 16. Several offenders received community service orders along with forfeiture of electronic devices used in committing crimes.
The prosecutions featured the presentation of admissible evidence by EFCC prosecuting counsels—Aliyu Adebayo, Andrew Akoja, and Omolade Ajibola—which included extra-judicial confessions, seized phones, laptops, and restitution sums. The courts accepted the guilty pleas and uncontroverted evidence, resulting in convictions that highlight EFCC’s decisive action against cybercrime.
In a related procedure, Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar sentenced Abdulrasaq Jubril to a six-month suspended sentence, ordering forfeiture of an iPhone 12 and partial restitution.
This series of convictions underscores ongoing efforts by Nigerian judicial and enforcement agencies to combat the prevalence of internet fraud and cybercriminal activities within the region.
