Date: 2021-09-23

Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has slammed a 6-month jail term on one Oyekan Abdulbaqqi Adedoyin, a self-acclaimed prince from Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State, for offences bordering on cybercrime.

Prince Oyekan, 25, was jailed alongside one Oni Stephen Oluwaferanmi from Ilesha, Osun State.

The duo of Prince Oyekan and Oni were prosecuted on separate charges by the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

They pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them.

Upon their pleas, counsel to the EFCC, Andrew Akoja, led witnesses to review the facts of the two cases. The witnesses who are operatives of the Commission narrated how the defendants were arrested based on credible intelligence.

The prosecution tendered items recovered from the defendants at the point of arrest including phones, laptops and fraudulent messages printed from the defendants' email addresses, which the court admitted in evidence.

Justice Oyinloye while delivering judgment on the cases yesterday, said that the court had carefully evaluated all the material evidence placed before it, the plea of guilt and the uncontroverted testimonies of the prosecution witnesses.

He held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt

Consequently, he convicted and sentenced the defendants.

The judge sentenced Prince Oyekan to six months imprisonment with an option of a fine of N150, 000 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira). The Court also ordered the forfeiture of his iPhone and a Dell Laptop, which the convict used to perpetrate the crime to the Federal Government.

In the same vein, Justice Oyinloye sentenced Oni to one year imprisonment with an option of a fine of N350, 000 (Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira). He also ordered the forfeiture of the convict's phone to the Federal Government. In addition, the judge ordered the convict to pay $775 (Seven Hundred and Seventy-Five United States Dollars) as restitution to his victim through the EFCC within 78 hours or risk another six months imprisonment.