Date: 2020-09-02

A Kwara State High Court on Monday convicted an undergraduate of the University of Ilorin, Ridwan Akinsanya, over a romance scam. The 400-level student was convicted and sentenced to three months of community service by Justice Sikiru Oyinloye.

Akinsanya, according to a statement by the Head of Media and Publicity of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Dele Oyewale, was arraigned on one count bordering on Internet fraud.

He pleaded guilty to the charge.

The charge read, "That you, Akinsanya Ridwan (a.k.a Alex James) sometime in March 2020 or thereabout at Ilorin, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, attempted to commit an offence of cheating by impersonation by pretending and representing yourself to be a white man called Alex James to an unsuspecting white woman, Stewart Sonia, on a dating site, called Hangout, as it is contained in your Gmail account: alexjames789123@gmail.com, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 95 of the Penal Code Laws of Northern Nigeria."

According to Oyewale, the convict was arrested on March 16, 2020, around the Pipeline area of Princess Hotel, Kwara State, based on intelligence.

An Assistant Detective Superintendent with the EFCC, Mahmoud Hamman, told the court that a search was conducted at Akinsanya's house and one Samsung Galaxy phone and a laptop were recovered.

He added that when the exhibits were analysed, an email with several fraudulent messages, was discovered and printed in the convict's presence.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Oyinloye convicted and sentenced Akinsanya to three months' of community service and a fine of N50,000.

He ordered the convict to clear the drainage at Bekind Filing Station near Tipper Garage, Tanke, up to the gate of the University of Ilorin for three months commencing from September 2, 2020.

He added that the convict should get a notice of clearance from the registrar of the University of Ilorin and the Kwara State command of the Nigerian Correctional Service, noting that failure to do so would attract six months' imprisonment