Both Federal and State High Courts sitting in Ibadan, capital of Oyo State and Osogbo, capital of State of Osun, respectively, yesterday, sentenced 13 impersonators and fraudsters to different jail terms ranging from three to ten months imprisonments.
Among the convicts was Adewuyi Adetoun, who committed the crime at 20 years-old when he was a student of Federal University of Technology; Akure, Ondo State.
Other convicts are: Abiodun Babatunde Sowunmi, Adeyemi Babatunde Hammed, Abeeb Abiola Badmus, Adebayo Akorede Saheed, Ganiyu Qudus Olawale and Omolade Ayemidotun Moses. Others are Taofeeq Toheeb Atanda, Oyekanmi Qudus Oyewale, Alabi Ifeoluwa Olamide, B.T.D Multi global Limited, Owolabi Toheeb Tolulope and Taiwo Shedrack Akpoyen.
The convicts were arrested and arraigned on Monday November 22, 2021, by men of the Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The convicts were prosecuted on separate charges.
Justice Uche Agomoh of Federal High Court , Ibadan, found Sowunmi, Olawale, Omolade and Badmus guilty of offence of impersonation contrary to Section 22 (2)(b)(1) Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22 (2)(b) of the same Act.
While, Sowunmi and Olawale were sentenced to ten months imprisonment each, Omolade and Badmus bagged nine and six months imprisonment each.
Similarly, Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court , Ibadan, convicted Alabi, Atanda, Oyekanmi, Adeyemi and Adebayo on separate charges of obtaining property by false pretence contrary to Section 419 of the Criminal Code Cap 38 Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
The judge sentenced Alabi to a term of three months community service, while Atanda, Adeyemi, Adebayo and Oyekanmi bagged two months community service each.
In the same vein, Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of Federal High Court sitting in Oshogbo found B.T.D Multiglobal Limited guilty of counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 preferred against them by the EFCC.
Trouble started sometimes in December 2017 when the Commission received a petition alleging B.T.D Multiglobal Limited and Adewumi fraudulent misappropriated N1billion, received about 8,000 investors.
The court, while ordering the revocation of the certificate of incorporation of the company, ordered that the Corporate Affairs Commission should windup the company.
According to the judge, ‘the proceeds therefrom as well as the sum of N32million recovered in the course of investigation should be used to pay the investors’.
The judge also found Adewuyi, who claimed to be 20 years-old and a student of Federal University of Technology; Akure as at the time the offence was committed guilty of count 1 and 2 and imposed a prison term of three years on each of the two counts, to run concurrently.
In the same token, Justice Ayo-Emmanuel sentenced Akpoyen to ten months imprisonment over fraudulent impersonation, while ordering a prison term of six year on Owolabi for impersonation and possession of documents.
The convicts are to restitute their various victims and forfeit the items recovered from them to the Federal Government.
