Adebisi Ademola, a lecturer at the Kwara State College of Health Technology, Offa, has been sentenced to six months imprisonment over love scam.
The sentence was handed down today by Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of Ilorin high court.
Ademola,38, was among the thirty-three suspected internet fraudsters arrested on 14 September 2020.
The arrest was in the course of a raid of some hideouts by EFCC officials.
He was prosecuted by the EFCC on one count of romance scam, an offence punishable by Section 95 of the Penal Code Law of Northern Nigeria.
According to the charge, Ademola impersonated a white foreigner Dawn Ayero sometime in September, 2020.
Using Ayero’s guise, Ademola then befriended Donald Oakes.
He sought to fleece him using the cloned gmail account: dawnayero@gmail.com.
The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him.
Following his ‘guilty plea’, counsel to the EFCC, Andrew Akoja, invited to the witness box, one Olumide Olasode, an operative of the Commission to review the facts of the case.
He narrated how intelligence report led to the arrest of the defendant on September 14, 2020 at Offa area of Kwara State.
Petition from concerned citizens of Offa, statement of the defendant and all the fraudulent messages printed out of his email were tendered and admitted in evidence by the Court.
Akoja, thereafter, urged the Court to convict the defendant based on his plea, the exhibits tendered and the evidence of the sole prosecution witness (PW1)
Consequently, Justice Oyinloye found Ademola guilty of the charge and accordingly sentenced him.
He, however, gave him an option of fine of N50,000.
The judge in addition, ordered the forfeiture to the Federal Government of the convict’s phone, used as instrument to perpetrate the crime.
