The Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin has convicted one Ajewole Oluseyi David, a fraudster based in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, and seven others over offences bordering on internet fraud.
The trial judge, Justice Muhammed Sani also ordered the forfeiture of a duplex owned by Ajewole situated at Lekki, Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State, worth over N60million and one RX 350 Lexus car worth more than N6 million, which the convict procured with proceeds of his illegal activities to the Federal Government.
Ajewole was prosecuted alongside seven other fraudsters over similar offences by the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
They are Ebenezer Olamilekan Apata from Akure, Ondo State; Obadun Abiodun Taofeek from Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State; Ayeni Kayode from Iludun-Ekiti, Ekiti State; Alade Oluwatosin Daniel from Owo/Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Others include Ojo Tobi from Moba Local Government Area of Ekiti State; Adeyemi Segun from Esa-Oke Local Government Area of Osun State and one Akinrinmola Olumide.
They were among the 30 fraud suspects arrested by EFCC operatives during a sting operation in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State Capital, on April 26, 2022.
Adeyemi Segun was, however, arrested in the Ogbomosho Area of Oyo State sometime in October 2021.
The convicts, who were prosecuted on separate charges, pleaded guilty to their respective charges.
Following the “guilty plea” entered by the defendants, Innocent Mbachie, Sesan Ola and Andrew Akoja, who prosecuted the cases on behalf of the Commission reviewed the facts of the cases from the bar.
They narrated the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the defendants and tendered several incriminating materials recovered from them at the point of arrest, which were admitted in evidence.
The EFCC counsels urged the court to consider the “guilty plea” of the defendants; their extra-judicial statements and the uncontroverted evidence of the prosecution as well as the provisions of the law in convicting the defendants as charged.
In his judgement on the cases, Justice Sani upheld the submissions of the prosecuting counsels and pronounced the defendants guilty of their respective charges.
While sentencing the convicts to various jail terms, Justice Muhammed ordered the forfeiture of the items used as instruments of the crime and acquired with proceeds of the illegal activities by the convicts to the Federal Government.
