Kwara forex trader jailed over internet fraud, forfeits iPhone 12, $200 to FG

The llorin zonal command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has secured the conviction of one Kolawole Joshua, a 26-year-old forex trader, for Internet fraud.

The commission said Abdullahi Isiak and Daniel Orji were also convicted of the same offence.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the anti-graft agency said the trio were arraigned before Mahmoud Abdulgafar, judge of the Kwara state high court in Ilorin.

The commission said the suspects were jailed after they separately pleaded guilty to one-count charge bordering on internet fraud.

“That you, Kolawole Temidayo Joshua, sometime between April and May, 2023 at Ilorin within the Judicial Division of the High Court, did cheat by personation, when you pretended to be one Mia Phillips vide your Google voice account: [email protected] and induced one Daniel Murphy a.k.a Wagba Wealth and Danny, to part with gross sum of $400 (Four Hundred US Dollars) through Gift Cards and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the Penal Code,” the charge against Joshua reads.

The agency said the defendants pleaded guilty to their respective one-count charge when it was read to them.

“At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, October 11, 2023,  EFCC  counsels; Muinat Bello and Isabel Adeniran, while reviewing the facts of the cases, narrated the circumstances that led to the arrest of the defendants,” the statement reads.

“The counsels also tendered exhibits including phones, extrajudicial statements and money which they brought as restitution by the defendants, which were admitted in evidence.

“Justice Abdulgafar in his judgment found the defendants guilty and convicted them as charged.”

The commission said Joshua was sentenced to six months imprisonment with an option of a fine of N500,000 and ordered that one iPhone 12 and the sum of $200 which are proceeds of the crime, be forfeited to the federal government.

According to the EFCC, the court also sentenced Isiak to six months imprisonment — which is to be suspended — and ordered that the iPhone 12 Promax used as an instrument of crime be forfeited to the federal government.

Also, Orji was sentenced to six months imprisonment with an option of a fine of N150,000 while an iPhone 6 and the sum of $250 recovered from him were forfeited to the federal government.