Court Jails 17 Yahoo Boys In Abeokuta, Three In Osogbo

By Matthew Ogune, Abuja

The Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has secured the conviction of 17 internet fraudsters in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital and three in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

The 17 convicts, sentenced on Wednesday, June 10,  2020, to varying degrees of jail terms for impersonation by Justices Mohammed Abubakar and Ibrahim Watilat of the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, are: Olofuntuyi Ayofemi Ishola, Maja Toheeb, Laleye Olaoluwa, Janta Oluwafolabomi, Ashaba Franklin Unuagbon, Daniel Stephen Temitope, Yusuf Ayuba, Malojuekun Oluwatobi and Aladejobi Adeshola.

Others include: Faniyi Jamiu Olalekan, Adegbamigbe Oluwabiyi Emmanuel, Oni Temidayo Victor, Ejiro Daniel, Kushimo Toheed, Olamilekan Adedeji, Adebanjo Olamide and Ikegbunam Chukwuemeka Chidebube.

Justice Watilat convicted and sentenced Ishola to five months jail term; Toheeb and Olaoluwa were handed three months each; Oluwafolabomi earned two months, while Unuagbon bagged one month with an order to sign a bond at both Ibadan and Benin EFCC zonal offices to be of good conduct henceforth.

Similarly, Temitope bagged six months imprisonment from Justice Abubakar, Adeshola got five months; while he handed three months each to Ayuba, Oluwatobi, Olalekan, Emmanuel, Victor, Daniel, Toheed, Adedeji, Olamide and Chidebube.

The convicts are to forfeit all items recovered from them to the Federal Government, and also restitute sundry sums of money to their respective victims.

The EFCC was represented in the matter by its legal team that comprised Oluwatinuwe Daramola, Babatunde Sonoiki, Oyelakin Oyediran and Ifeanyi Agwu.

In the same vein, Justices Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel and Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Osogbo, also today, Wednesday, June 10, 2020, convicted and sentenced Emmanuel Tolulope, Al-Ameen Olaitan Adesayo and Omotayo Oyeleke to prison terms for internet-related offences.

Justice Ayo-Emmanuel pronounced Tolulope guilty of a one-count charge of criminal impersonation filed against him on Wednesday, June 10, 2020, and handed him seven months imprisonment.

The judge had earlier on Tuesday, June 9, convicted Adesayo after finding him guilty of obtaining money by false pretence; an offence that runs contrary to Section 1 (1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under the same act. He was sentenced to six months in prison with effect from the date of his arrest and was ordered to restitute his victim, the sum of $250 (Two Hundred and Fifty United States Dollars), through the EFCC.

Justice Lifu handled Oyeleke’s matter. Upon arraignment on January 30, 2020, he pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge preferred against him by the EFCC, thus setting the stage for his trial.

His fate was however, determined on Tuesday, June 9, when he was found guilty of an amended one-count charge of criminal impersonation and sentenced to nine months imprisonment.

Apart from the prison term, the court ordered him to restitute the sum of $1,200 (One Thousand and Two Hundred United States Dollars) to his victim.

He also to forfeited his iPhone 8plus, an Infinix Hot  phone and one low grade Nokia mobile phone to the government.