Court jails internet fraudsters in Lagos

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State, on Tuesday, sentenced one Ahmed Adesanya to six months imprisonment for internet fraud.

Similarly, the EFCC on Tuesday secured the conviction and sentencing of one Dadeowo Hassan before Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.

Justice Taiwo sentenced Adesanya after he pleaded guilty to the allegation of internet fraud brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Earlier, the EFCC counsel told the court that the defendant was arrested in the Lekki area of Lagos State by the operatives of the anti-graft agency.

He stated that the gadgets recovered from the defendant include iPhone XS Max, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and a Marble laptop.

The prosecutor added that Adesanya, who confessed to have posed himself as a white male, Michael Scott, affirmed his involvement in internet fraud.

He further told the court that the gadgets recovered from the defendant were subjected to forensic analysis by EFCC after which fraudulent documents were printed out of the mobile gadgets.

Justice Taiwo, therefore, ruled that the gadgets be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria, while the defendant was sentenced to six months imprisonment with an option of N250,000.

Also, Dadeowo Hassan was tried on a two-count amended charge bordering on possession of fraudulent documents used to perpetrate internet fraud.

Count one reads: “Dadeowo Hassan, on or about the 4th day of May, 2021 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, had in your possession a document titled MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR,  which was printed out of your email address rdhfdfgd21@gmail.com.”

The second count reads: “Dadeowo Hassan, on or about the 4th day of May 2021 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, had in your possession a document titled MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR, which was printed from your Hewlett-Packard laptop from a website called UNICC, where you purchased American Citizen social security number.”

He pleaded “guilty” to the charges.

Following his plea, the prosecuting counsel, M.S. Owede, gave a review of the facts of the case.

According to him, sometime in May 2021, the EFCC received intelligence report on the activities of internet fraudsters operating at Victoria Garden City, VGC, Lagos.

“Sequel to the intelligence, surveillance was carried out, and this defendant was arrested, with his tools of trade: iPhone X, iPhone 12 Pro Max, a Nokia phone, and a Hewlett-Packard laptop,” he said.

Owede further told the court that investigation was extended to his email address and documents evidencing false pretence were discovered and printed out in his presence, which he also endorsed.

He, thereafter, tendered in evidence the statement made to the EFCC in the course of the investigation, the bundle of documents printed out from the defendant’s email and a cheque of N500,000 issued by the defendant as part of a plea bargain agreement brought before the court, which was agreed to by both parties.

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The documents were admitted in evidence against him and marked Exhibits P1a, P1b, P1c, P1d, P2, P3, P4 and P5.

Justice Abike-Fadipe, thereafter, found him guilty as charged and sentenced him to one year in prison, with an option of N1 million fine and 40 hours of community service.

He is to forfeit to the Federal Government the devices recovered from him, including the N500,000 bank draft.

TheStar