Justice Muhammed Sani of a Federal High Court, sitting in Ilorin on Friday 1st July 2022, convicted and sentenced Adesanya Adeolu Tosin, a 300-Level student of Federal University, Lokoja to one-year imprisonment for posing as an American Military Officer to defraud his unsuspecting victims.
Adesanya was convicted alongside one Usman Abubakar from Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned the duo on separate charges bordering on cybercrime and retention of proceeds of unlawful activities.
The defendants pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them.
Following his guilty pleas, Innocent Mbachie and Sesan Ola who prosecuted the cases on behalf of the Commission reviewed the facts of the cases and tendered the extrajudicial statements of the defendants, phones, and drafts which they brought as restitution to their victims and fraudulent messages printed from his devices, which were admitted in evidence.
They urged the court to convict the defendants in line with their pleas.
Justice Sani in his judgment said from the totality of evidence brought by the prosecution, the court was convinced that the EFCC has proved its cases beyond reasonable doubt and subsequently convicted the defendants as charged.
The judge sentenced Adesanya to one-year imprisonment with the option of a Four Hundred Thousand Naira (N400,000) only fine. The court also ordered that one iPhone 12 Pro Max which he used to perpetrate the crime and a draft of Six Hundred Thousand Naira. (N600,000) only which he raised as restitution to his victims, be forfeited to the Federal Government.
Justice Sani imposed a jail term of three years on Usman with the option of Four Hundred and Seventy-Nine Thousand, Two Hundred and Ninety Naira (N479,290.00) only fine. In addition, the convict is to forfeit his iPhone X 5 and Samsung s8 which he used to perpetrate the crime and also restitute the sum of Two Hundred and Seventy-Nine Thousand, Two Hundred and Ninety Naira (N279,290.00) only to his victim.