Justice Muhammed Sani of the Federal High Court Ilorin on Wednesday convicted a 25-year-old staff member of the Ekiti State Water Corporation, Opeyemi Akinluyi, for offences bordering on cyber fraud.
Akinluyi, a native of Ijan-Ekiti in Ekiti State, was convicted alongside Ajibade Timileyin Emmanuel and Ezekiel Oluwaseun Temitope from Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
Also convicted were Abbas Olatayo Ojo from Igbeti, Oyo State, and one Kareem Quadri.
The convicts were prosecuted on separate charges by the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), before different Justices of both the Federal High Court and Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.
Upon arraignment, the defendants pleaded guilty to the charge preferred against each of them.
In his judgment, Justice Sani sentenced Akinluyi, Emmanuel and Oluwaseun to six months imprisonment each with the option of N200, 000 fine.
The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the convicts’ phones and laptop, which were used to perpetrate the crime and the restitution of their various victims.
Justice Akinpelu of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, while deciding the case of Olatayo and Quadri, sentenced each of the defendants to six months imprisonment.
While Olatayo was given an option of fine of N150,000 on the one count against him, N150,000 was given as option of fine on each of the two counts against Quadri.
Justice Akinpelu also ordered the forfeiture of the convicts’ phones, which were used to perpetrate the crime against the Federal Government of Nigeria as well as the restitution of their various victims.
