The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 arraigned a 29-year-old serial fraudster, Joshua Ajayi Oluwatobiloba, from Ido-Osi Local Government Area of Ekiti State for offences bordering on personation and cyber fraud.
He was arraigned on four counts before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin.
Oluwatobi, had sometime in June 2020 been convicted by Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of the Kwara State High Court for similar offence.
After spending time at Mandala Correctional Centre, the convict went back to crime, and was again arrested by operatives of the EFCC and brought before the court for justice.
Specifically, Oluwatobi’s arrest and prosecution was consequent upon a report alleging that he was presenting himself as the Dean Student Affairs, and one “Dr. Efuntayo Oluwatobi”, a lecturer in the Chemistry Department, University of Ilorin, to scam unsuspecting students seeking to pay school fees and get hostel accommodation.
The defendant pleaded guilty to the counts.
Upon his plea, counsel to the EFCC, Rashidat Alao, urged the court to fix a date for trial and remand the defendant in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service, pending trial.
Justice Abdulgafar has adjourned until Thursday, November 25, 2021 for review of the facts of the case and ordered that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the EFCC.
In another development, the Command also secured the conviction of four persons for internet fraud related offences.
The Convicts are Afolabi Gafar, Yusuf Ridwan Ajibola, Eniola Abdulbashit and Oludare Ifeoluwa Victor.
Gafar and Yusuf were convicted by Justice Adenike Akinpelu and Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court, respectively, while the conviction of Abdulbashit and Oludare were secured before Justice Muhammed Sani of the Federal High Court, Ilorin.
Justice Akinpelu sentenced Gafar to six months imprisonment on count 1, 2 and 3, to run concurrently with option of fine of N100,000 on count 1 and N150,000 each on count 2 and 3. The court also ordered the forfeiture of the convict’s phones used to perpetrate the crime and the money he raised as restitution.
Similarly, Justice Abdulgafar sentenced Yusuf to six months imprisonment on count 1 and 2, which should be suspended. He ordered the convict to forfeit his Lexus car, which he bought from the proceeds of crime and the iPhone used to perpetrate the crime.
In the same vein, Justice Sani sentenced Oludare and Abdulbashit to six months imprisonment each with option of fine of N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira Only). The court also ordered that the phones and laptop used by the convicts to perpetrate the crime be forfeited to the Federal Government.
