An Oyo State High Court, on Tuesday May 24, 2022, convicted the duo of Timothy Oluwaseun Oni and Abdulwahab Oladimeji Muhammed on a separate one count amended charge bordering on criminal impersonation.
The court presided over by Justice Bayo Taiwo, convicted the defendants after they pleaded “guilty” to the charges preferred against them by the Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Justice Taiwo, after considering the the facts of the cases and the evidence by the prosecution, held that the prosecution had proved the cases and sentenced the convicts to six months community service each.
In addition to the jail terms, the judge ordered Oni to restitute the sum of $2,000USD (Two Thousand United States Dollars) to his victim and forfeit one 2011 Mercedes Benz car, one iPhone 12 Pro Max mobile phone, a Samsung Galaxy S8 phone and one Apple iPad.
He also ordered that Abdulwahab pay the sum of N311, 573.00 (Three Hundred and Eleven Thousand, Five Hundred and Seventy Three Naira) found in his Kuda Microfinance Bank Account as restitution.
The charge against Abdulwahab reads: “That you Abdulwahad Oladimeji Muhammed on or about the 9th day of March, 2021 at Ibadan, Oyo State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud falsely represented yourself as Jane Smith, a white lady from the United States of America, which representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence of impersonation contrary to Section 484 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.”
The charge against Oni reads: “That you Timothy Oluwaseun Oni on or about the 11th day of March, 2021 at Ibadan, Oyo State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud falsely represented yourself as James Tina, a white lady from the United States of America, which representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary of impersonation contrary to Section 484 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.”
In a related development, Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of the Federal High Court sitting in Oshogbo, Osun State, on Monday, May 23, 2022, convicted and sentenced one Emmanuel Ifeanyi Odinaka to six months imprisonment on one count charge bordering on internet fraud.
The count reads: “That you, Emmanuel Ifeanyi Odinaka (a.k.a Mary Cathy) sometime in 2021, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to gain advantage for yourself did impersonate one Mary Cathy, the pretext you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22 (2) (b) (i) and punishable under Section 22 (2) (b) the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.)Act, 2015.”
He pleaded “guilty” to the charge upon arraignment.
Justice Ayo-Emmanuel afterwards, convicted and sentenced Ifeanyi to six months imprisonment.
Furthermore, the convict was ordered to restitute the sum of $250USD (Two Hundred and Fifty United States Dollars) and forfeit one iPhone 8 Plus mobile phone to the Federal Government of Nigeria.