Lecturer, twin brothers jailed over internet fraud in Ilorin

 

A Kwara State High Court in Ilorin, on Thursday, convicted Abdullahi Opashola, a lecturer of Kwara State College of Health Technology, Offa, for offences bordering on impersonation and internet fraud.

Also convicted were Opashola’s twin brothers, Taiye and Kehinde Adebayo.

Justice Adenike Akinpelu, who sentenced the 26-year-old lecturer to four months imprisonment on a one count charge, however, gave him a N150,000 option of fine.

For Taiye and Kehinde Adebayo, who were arraigned on a seven count charge, Justice Akinpelu, pronounced each of them guilty of the charge and sentenced them to six months jail on each of the counts preferred against them to run concurrently.

However, the trial judge also gave the twin brothers an option of a fine of N50,000 on each of the counts.

Justice Akinpelu, also ordered that the laptops and phones used by the convicts to commit the crimes be forfeited to the Federal government, saying ” The sentences would serve as deterrent to others.”

Opashola, who was arraigned by the Ilorin Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a count charge, was accused of personating as a female named Devine Snow via his email address devinesnow677@gmail.com in order to induce Eugene Myvett to send him 200 US dollars, a representation he knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 95 of the Penal code and punishable under Section 324 of the same law.

The charge sheet on Taiye read; ” That you, Taiye Adebayo, sometime in January 2020, at Ilorin within the judicial division of Kwara state high court, did cheat one Gary Brenton, who you met on TWOO dating site of the sum of 490 US dollars received vide gift cards, when you pretended to y female and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 of the Penal code and punishable under the same penal code.”

On the part of Kehinde, the count charge read; “That you, Kehinde Adebayo, sometime in January, 2020, at Ilorin, within the judicial division of the Kwara state high court, did cheat one Gary Brenton, who you met on TWOO dating site of the sum of 410 US dollars, received vide gift cards when you pretended to be a female and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 of the Penal code and punishable under Section 322 of the same penal code.”

Delivering judgement on Opashola following a guilty plea entered, Justice Akinpelu, found him guilty of the charge against him and passed sentence.

For Taiye and Kehinde Adebayo, the judge also pronounced them guilty as charged and sentenced them to six months jail on each of the counts against them, but also with an option of N50,000 fine on each count.