Etim Ekpimah
Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has sentenced two final year students of two tertiary institutions in Ilorin to a one-year jail term each for offences bordering on cybercrime.
The convicts are Oyewale Wasiu Adetunji and Adebayo Ibrahim Abiodun, who are students of Kwara State University, KWASU, Molete and Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, respectively.
Convicted alongside Oyewale and Adebayo was one Saheed Sikirullahi, who claimed to be a former student of Kwara Polytechnic, Ilorin.
The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC prosecuted the three convicts on separate charges.
Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said on Tuesday that the convicts during trial pleaded guilty to their charge.
Innocent Mbachie was prosecuted for the EFCC in the case against Oyewale and Saheed, while Rasheedat Alao represented the Commission in the case against Adebayo.
The two counsels urged the court to adopt the plea bargain agreements and sentence the defendants.
Delivering judgment on the cases on Monday, September 13, Justice Oyinloye said that he took cognizance of the plea of guilt entered by the defendants, the exhibits tendered without objection by the defence and held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Consequently, the court sentenced Oyewale to one year imprisonment with an option of a fine of N500, 000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira only).
In addition, the court ordered the forfeiture of his black Toyota Corolla Car with registration number RSH272BF ABUJA, which he acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities. Also forfeited was the convict’s Purple Samsung S10 and Black iPhone XR, which he used as instruments in perpetrating the crime.
Similarly, Justice Oyinloye sentenced Adebayo to one-year imprisonment with an option of N500, 000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira only) fine. The court also ordered the forfeiture of the convict’s Black Toyota Camry Car, 2007 model, with registration number FST 764 GT, which he acquired with proceeds of crime.
Also forfeited to the Federal Government were the convict’s HP Pavilion Laptop and Gold Apple iPhone 11 Promax, which he used to perpetrate the crime.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of the Manager’s Cheque of N400, 000 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira) which the convict raised as restitution to his victims. In a similar fashion, Saheed bagged one-year imprisonment with an option of a fine of N200, 000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira Only).
In addition, the court ordered that the sum of $450 (Four Hundred and Fifty United States Dollars) which he benefited from the crime as well as his iPhone 11 Promax be forfeited to the Federal Government.
