Court jails two students for internet fraud in Kwara

The Kwara high court has convicted two students in the state for their involvement in internet fraud.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday.

According to the EFCC, the Ilorin zonal office of the commission secured the convictions on Tuesday, after the students — identified as Joshua Ogizien, a 400 level student of the University of Ilorin, and Toheeb Muritala, a 200 level student of the Kwara State University (KWASU) — appeared before Mahmood Abdulgafar, the presiding judge.

Two other persons, “Rasheed Afeez Temitope, a graduate of Bartholomew College of Health Technology, Shao, and one Olaoluwa Samuel from Lagelu Local Government of Oyo State”, were also convicted by the court on Tuesday.

“Following credible intelligence reports on the activities of fraudsters swindling unsuspecting victims of their hard-earned money within Ilorin and its environs, operatives of the EFCC swung into action and in the process arrested the convicts at various locations within the metropolis,” the statement reads.

“They volunteered statements and confessed to the crime. Consequently, the suspects were arraigned on separate charges on Monday, August 2, 2021. They pleaded guilty to the charges preferred against them.

“Instruments used in committing the crime such as phones, laptops including the fraudulent messages printed from their phones and laptops as well as their confessional statements were tendered and admitted in evidence by the court.

“Delivering judgment on the cases today, Justice Abdulgafar said based on the plea of guilt entered by the defendants, the unchallenged testimonies of the prosecution witnesses and all the exhibits tendered, the prosecution had established its case beyond reasonable doubts.”

According to the EFCC, Ogizien was sentenced to one-year imprisonment and is expected to forfeit the devices recovered from him — including the sum of N79,000 — to the federal government.

Muritala was also sentenced to one-year imprisonment, and judge ordered that the devices and a sum of N220,000 recovered from him be forfeited to the federal government.

Temitope was sentenced to six months imprisonment each on the two counts preferred against him, which will run concurrently, while Samuel was handed a one-year jail term with the option of N50,000 fine on one count, and another one-year imprisonment on the second count preferred against him without the option of fine.

The judge, however, ordered that the sentences of the students be suspended to enable them complete their education.

“Justice Abdulgafar also ordered that the convicts should report to ASP Towoju Azeez of Mandala Correctional Centre during the period of the suspension of sentences,” EFCC added.