Court Sentences Man to Six Months Imprisonment for Cyber Fraud in Ilorin

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

A Kwara State High Court in Ilorin yesterday convicted a 25-year-old man, Mr. Ayeni Peter Oluwatofunmi, for impersonating a white America female, Daina Patrick, to swindle unsuspecting victims in cybercrime.

The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had secured the conviction of Oluwatofunmi for impersonation.

The offence is contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 324 of the same law.

The defendant was prosecuted on one count to which he pleaded guilty.

Upon the ‘guilty plea’ by the defendant, counsel to the EFCC, Rashidat Alao, called a witness, who narrated how credible intelligence led to the arrest of the defendant.

The witness, who is an operative of the commission tendered several fraudulent messages printed from the device of the defendant, which the court admitted in evidence.

Alao, thereafter, urged the court to consider the plea entered by the defendant, his extra-judicial statements, the testimony of the sole prosecution witness and exhibits tendered to convict the defendant as charged.

Delivering his ruling, Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar held that: “The court is satisfied that the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.”

The Judge, therefore, sentenced Ayeni to six months suspended prison term

The court also ordered the forfeiture of the sum of $200, which the convict benefited from the unlawful activity, as well as the phone he used to perpetrate the crime, to the federal government.