Juliana Francis
A 400Level undergraduate of the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Akinsanya Olamide Ridwan, has been ordered to clear drainage as punishment for his involvement in a love scam.
Ridwan was convicted and sentenced by Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of the Kwara State High Court, sitting in Ilorin. The convict is to carry out three months Community Service for committing such a crime.
Ridwan got the jail term on Monday after being arraigned on one one-count charge, bordering on internet fraud and other fraud-related offences by the Ilorin zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, explained that the convict would be required to clear the drainage at Bekind filing Station near Tipper Garage, Tanke up to the gate of the University of Ilorin for three months commencing from September 2, 2020.
The charge read: “That you, Akinsanya Riwan, a.k.a Alex James, sometimes in March, 2020 or thereabout at Ilorin, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court attempted to commit an offence of cheating by pretending and representing yourself to be a white man called Alex James to an unsuspecting white woman, Stewart Sonia on a dating site called Hangout as it is contained in your Gmail account: alexjames789123@gmail.com and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 95 of the Penal Code Laws of Northern Nigeria.”
The defendant pleaded guilty to the one-count charge. While reviewing the facts of the case, Mahmoud Ibrahim Hamman, an Assistant Detective Superintendent with the EFCC, Ilorin Zonal office, told the court t, ” My Lord, the defendant was arrested on March 16, 2020 at Pipeline, behind Princess Hotel, Ilorin Kwara State, based on intelligence.
Hamman further stated: “A search was conducted in his house and one Galaxy phone and laptop were recovered. We analysed them and discovered an email box where several fraudulent messages were printed in his presence.”
Delivering judgment on the matter, Justice Oyinloye convicted and sentenced the defendant, based on exhibits tendered and the proof of evidence brought before the court.
The Judge ordered the convict to clear the drainage at Bekind filing Station near Tipper Garage, Tanke up to the gate of the University of Ilorin for three months commencing from September 2, 2020.
He said the convict should get a notice of clearance from the Registrar of the University of Ilorin and the Kwara State Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service, adding that failure to do so would attract him six months imprisonment.
The court also ordered the convict to pay a fine of N50, 000 in addition to the Community Service.
In another development, Operatives of the Enugu zonal office of the EFCC arrested 14 suspected internet fraudsters from different parts of Awka, Anambra State. They were arrested based on intelligence available to the Commission.
Specifically, the suspects, whose age range between 21 and 28, were arrested at Okpuno Awka, Agu Awka and Ngozika Estate, all in Anambra State.
Items recovered from them are; different exotic vehicles which include three Mercedes Benz 4matic, three Mercedes Benz AMG, two Lexus Rx salon cars.
Interim analyses of some of the suspects’ phones indicated they were involved in some suspected internet fraud which include online bitcom scam, love scam and identity theft.
First Published 2020
