Adeyemi Israel Abiodun, the Director of Logistics for the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Federal University, Oye-Ekiti Chapter, was found guilty of online fraud and sentenced to one year in prison by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCCIbadan )'s Zonal Command.
He is one of 40 people who have been found guilty on individual one-count charges by the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan's four judges.
Their crimes involved forgery and impersonation in violation of Sections 419, 467, 484, 516, and 508 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap. 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000. They also obtained money under false pretence, property under false pretence, and property under false pretence.
The other convicts are Yekeen Azeez Ishola, Okeniyi Samuel Akiniyi, Theophilus Ademola Bukola, Salami Mohammed Adetayo, Pelumi Ajayi Temiloluwa, Lawal Abdullateef Olalekan, Okusanwo Mayowa Daniel, Oluwole Oluwasegun Ayomide, Adedotun Omodele Yusuf, Monday Nnaemeka Samuel, Idowu Adeshina, Olowe Nifemi Ayomide, Adubu Olamiotan Sunday, Kehinde Olatunji Kehinde, Oguntuase Tope Francis, Elijah Isaac Wisdom, Ogbanaya Chukwu Chukwu, Adekola Adekunle, Odebode Temiloluwa Kehinde, Joseph Odunayo Clement, Andrew Adekunle Masika, Usman Mubarak Damilare, Isiaka Olumide Hammed, Uawu Osita Henry, Kareem Afeez Alabi and Ogunyemi Ayobami Samuel.
Others include Mimiola Victor Olamide, Adeeko Kolade Emmanuel, Egberongbe Adedayo Quam, Oyelaran Olayiwola Jeremiah, Hammed Rilwan Ishola, Adefowora Omotayo David, Adedeji Ibrahim Olamilekan, Emmanuel Timileyin Akinbowale, Michael Damola Olanrewaju, Ayanyemi Olaide Samuel, Boye Timilehin Emmanuel, Timileyin Ajibola Idowu and Azeez Tolulope Ayoade.
Abiodun was arraigned before Justice Iyabo Yerima while thirty-nine others were prosecuted before Justices Bayo Taiwo, Akintola Ladiran and Olusola Adetujoye between August 15, 2022, and August 23, 2022.
The one-count charge against Abiodun reads: “That you, Adeyemi Israel Abiodun and Odiase Precious Abiola (aka Prezzy) (at large) on or about 30th March 2022 at Ibadan, within the Ibadan Judicial Division did conspire to forge various the United States of America Banks Cheques and purport same to be genuine and thereby committed the offence of conspiracy to commit forgery contrary to Section 516 and 467 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.”
Abiodun and the others pleaded “guilty” to the charges filed against them by the EFCC.
In view of their guilty pleas, the prosecution counsel, Modupe Akinkoye, Oyelakin Oyediran, Oluwatoyin Owodunni, Chidi Okoli, Abdulrasheed Suleiman, Mabas Mabur and Samsuddeen Bashir reviewed the facts of the cases, tendered confessional statements and documents recovered from the convicts as exhibits and urged the courts to convict and sentence the defendants as charged.
Consequently, Abiodun, Daniel and Ayomide were convicted and sentenced to one-year imprisonment each without the “option of fine”, while Akiniyi bagged three months jailed terms and six months of community service.
Other defendants were convicted and sentenced to six months of community service each.
Furthermore, the court ordered Abiodun to pay the sum of $1,000USD (One Thousand United States Dollars) in restitution and forfeit a white Mercedes Benz CLA-250 with a customized NANS plate number worth N16million, a gold neck chain and one ice neck chain worth N3.6million, bitcoin worth $58, 854.88USD, one Apple MacBook Pro 2020 Model and an iPhone 12 Pro Max to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Other convicts were ordered to restitute their victims and forfeit all items recovered from them.
It will be recalled, that Abiodun, a 200-level student of Economics and Development Studies of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State was arrested on March 30, 2022, alongside seventy-nine (79) others in a sting operation by the operatives of the Ibadan Zonal Command of the EFCC at Sango area of Ibadan, Oyo State for alleged internet fraud.
Investigations revealed that, between July 2021 and March 2022, Abiodun benefited N195, 274, 331.00 (One Hundred and Ninety-Five Million, Two Hundred and Seventy Four Thousand, Three Hundred and Thirty-One Naira) as a cumulative heist from cyber-fraud involving forgery of over 25 US banks cheques.