Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin on Thursday sentenced a 25-year-old final year student of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Giwa Nurudeen, to three years imprisonment having found him guilty of internet scam.
The Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought Nurudeen to court, following his involvement in a three-count charge of internet fraud.
Nurudeen, a native of Ibadan, ran into problem on May 4, 2021 when operatives of the EFCC received credible intelligence about the activities of some suspected internet fraudsters operating around Tanke Area of Ilorin, an action which led to his arrest.
Count 2 of the charge reads in part: “That you, Giwa Nurudeen, sometime between the month of January, 2020 and December, 2020 at Ilorin, Kwara State, did knowingly had under your control the sum of N30.32million in your account number 2077856979 domiciled with United Bank for Africa Plc. which you knew to be unlawfully obtained and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 319A of the Penal Code.”
But when the charge was read to Nurudeen, he pleaded guilty to the charge.
Following his guilty plea, lawyer to the EFCC, Sesan Ola, led Idam Chukwuemeka, an operative of the EFCC to review the facts of the case. In his evidence, Idam narrated how Nurudeen was arrested based on intelligence report. He told the court how investigation unearth a whooping sum of N35million suspected to be proceed of crime in one of his accounts
In his statement, Giwa confessed to have acted as picker for other suspected internet fraudsters who are still at large. His confessional statements, iPhone 12 and a draft of N200,000 were tendered and admitted in evidence.
Delivering judgment on the matter, Justice Oyinloye said, “I have carefully considered the evidence of the prosecution, the plea of the defendant and the exhibits tendered. This court holds the view that the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt in line with the provisions of Section 130 of the Evidence Act. I hereby convict you on count 1, 2 and 3.”
Consequently, Nurudeen was given one-year custodial sentence at the Correctional Centre on each of the three counts, which would run concurrently. The judge also gave the convict option of fine of N100, 000 on each of the counts, which amounts to N300,000.
In addition, the court ordered the forfeiture of the convict’s iPhone 12, a draft of N200,000 and the sum of N231,000 found in his account domiciled in United Bank for Africa, UBA, to the Federal Government.
