The Ilorin zonal command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured conviction of a 26-year-old forex trader, Kolawole Temidayo Joshua, from Igosun in Oyun local government area of Kwara State and two others over offences bordering on internet fraud.

A statement by the Head, Media and Publicity of the anti-graft agency, Dele Oyewale, gave identities of two others as Abdullahi Isiak from Bode Saadu in the Moro local government area of the state and one Daniel Roland Orji.

The statement said that prior to arrest of the convict, Kolawole, who claimed to be a footballer, said he was also into selling of football kits and other menial jobs such as selling of dogs. “He confessed in his extra-judicial statement that he was also into internet fraud and had benefited various sums of money from the illegal business.”

The trio of Kolawole, Abdullahi and Daniel were arraigned on Monday, October 10, 2023 on separate charges of one-count each before Justice Mahmoud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin.

The charge against Kolawole reads:

“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 and induced one Daniel Murphy a.k.a Wagba Wealth and Danny, to part with gross sum of $400 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”

For Abdullahi, the charge reads:

“That you, Abdullahi Isiak, sometime in 2020, in Ilorin, Kwara state, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did attempt to cheat by personation when you pretended to be a white female via google voice account linked to email address, which you used to communicate with one Sandra Williams who resides in the United States of America in order to induce her to part with property and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 95 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 324 of the same law”.

Particulars of the charge against Daniel read:

“That you, Daniel Roland Orji, sometime November, 2022 in Ilorin with the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did cheat by personation when you pretended to be Eric Benson a resident of United State of America with Gmail account and fraudulently deceived one Sophia Linklater to send $250.00 with impression that you were in a relationship with him and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code punishment under Section 324 of the same Penal Code”.

The defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charge, prompting the court to adjourn for judgment.

The statement noted further that At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, counsels, who represented the EFCC in the prosecution of the cases, Muinat Bello and Isabel Adeniran, while reviewing the facts of the cases narrated the circumstances that led to the arrest of the defendants.

The counsels also tendered exhibits including phones, extra judicial statements and money which they brought as restitutions by the defendants, which were admitted in evidence. Thereafter, they urged the court to admit that the prosecution had proved the essential ingredients of the crime to warrant the conviction of the defendants.

Justice Abdulgafar in his judgement found the defendants guilty and convicted them as charged.

The judge sentenced Kolawole to six months imprisonment with option of N500,000 and ordered that one iphone 12 and the sum of $200 be forfeited to the federal government.

The court also sentenced Abdullahi to six months imprisonment, which is to be suspended and ordered that his iphone 12 promax used as instrument of crime be forfeited to the Federal Government.

Equally, Justice Abdulgafar sentenced Daniel to six months imprisonment with an option of N150,000 while his iphone 6 and the sum of $250 were forfeited to the Federal Government.