High courts in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and Ibadan, Oyo State, have convicted and sentenced 11 cybercriminals to various jail terms.
They were arraigned by the Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The convicts are Olakunle Dave Edamisan, Samuel Opeyemi Enitan, Daniel Aanu Omoyajowo, Jonathan Emmanuel Opashi, Daramola Damilola Aliu, Olarenwaju Olamilekan Oluwaseun, Olaoluwa Daniel Adejobi, Akintola Akindeji Festus, Tijani Babatunde Adedayo, Sodiq Opyemi Odunewu and Powei Ibelih Theophillious.
They were prosecuted following their arrest for alleged cybercrime and other related fraud activities.
Upon their arraignments before Justices Ladiran Akintola and Adebukola Lajide of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan, and Justice Sinmisola Adeniyi of the Ogun State High Court, Abeokuta, they all pleaded “guilty” to the one-count charge filed against them severally.
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Following their pleas, prosecution counsel, Olatunji Akintola, Umar Abiso, Shamsudeen Bashir, Adamu Sahabi, Zainab Tijani, and Fatima Baba reviewed the facts of the cases and prayed the courts to convict and sentence the defendants as charged.
Consequently, Justice Adeniyi convicted and sentenced Odunewu, Adedayo, Festus, Adejobi, and Oluwaseun to one year imprisonment each without an option of a fine.
Also, Justice Akintola convicted and sentenced Omoyajowo, Opashi, and Aliu to one year imprisonment each; Edamisan to six months community service, Enitan to three months community service while Powei was convicted and sentenced to six months community service. He will, in addition, forfeit N500,000.00 and N1.4 million to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
However, Omoyajowo was given an option of N40,000.00 fine while Opashi, Aliu, and Edamisan were given an option of N50,000.00 fine each.
The convicts were ordered to restitute their various victims and forfeit all items recovered from them to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
