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NANS officer sentenced to prison for online fraud

NANS officer sentenced to prison for online fraud

An officer of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) was given a year in prison for Internet fraud by the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan.

According to a statement released by the EFCC on Wednesday, Adeyemi Abiodun, Director of Logistics at the Federal University’s Oye-Ekiti Chapter, was one of 40 people who were sentenced to prison by four judges of the Oyo State High Court on related charges.

Each of the 40 defendants was found guilty on one count, including impersonation, obtaining money or property through deception, and forgery, according to EFCC spokesperson Wilson Uwujaren.

Sections 419, 467, 484, 516, and 508 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap. 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000, were allegedly violated by the offenses.

arrest, inquiries, and charging
According to the EFCC, Mr. Abiodun, a 200-level Economics and Development Studies student at the Federal University in Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, was one of 79 people detained on March 30, 2022, as part of a sting operation by EFCC agents from the Ibadan Zonal Command in the Sango neighborhood of Ibadan, Oyo State, for alleged internet fraud.

It claimed that its investigations showed Mr. Abiodun benefited from a N195, 274, 331 cyber-fraud heist between July 2021 and March 2022 that involved the forging of checks from more than 25 US banks.

The commission then accused him and Odaise Precious Abiola (also known as Prezzy), who was reportedly still at large, of conspiring to forge numerous United States of America Banks checks and present them as genuine on or around March 30, 2022 in Ibadan.

The Criminal Code Law, Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000, violates Sections 516 and 467 with regard to the alleged crime of conspiracy to commit forgery.

Mr. Abiodun and the others entered a “guilty” plea to the EFCC’s charges.

Conviction and guilty plea

The prosecution’s attorneys, Modupe Akinkoye, Oyelakin Oyediran, Oluwatoyin Owodunni, Chidi Okoli, Abdulrasheed Suleiman, Mabas Mabur, and Samsuddeen Bashir, reviewed the facts of the cases in light of the defendants’ guilty pleas, submitted confessional statements and documents taken from the guilty parties as exhibits, and urged the courts to find the defendants guilty and sentence

As a result, Mr. Abiodun was found guilty and given a one-year prison term without the possibility of a fine. Others in his group who also entered guilty pleas received a three-month prison sentence and a six-month community service requirement.

Other defendants were found guilty and given community service sentences of six months each.

Forfeiture

The court also mandated that Mr. Abiodun forfeit a white Mercedes Benz CLA-250 with a customized NANS plate number valued at N16 million and pay $1,000 in restitution.

The court also mandated that his gold and ice neck chains, $58, 854.88 in bitcoin, a MacBook Pro 2020 Model, and an iPhone 12 Pro Max be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Other prisoners were told to return their victims and forfeit anything taken from them.

Read EFCC’s statement in full:

EFCC Press Statement

  • NANS Executive Receives a Year in Prison for N195 Million in Internet Fraud...

Others Found Guilty in Ibadan: 39

Adeyemi Israel Abiodun, Director of Logistics for the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Federal University, Oye-Ekiti Chapter, was found guilty of internet fraud and sentenced to one year in prison by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) Ibadan Zonal Command.

He is one of 40 people who were found guilty on individual, one-count charges by four judges of the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan.

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 pretense, property under false pretense, and property by false pretense.

The other inmates are Lawal Abdullateef Olalekan, Okusanwo Mayowa Daniel, Oluwole Oluwasegun Ayomide, Yekeen Azeez Ishola, Okeniyi Sanuel Akiniyi, Theophilus Ademola Bukola, Salami Mohammed Adetayo, Pelumi Ajayi Temiloluwa, and Adedotun O 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

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Others are Hammed Rilwan Ishola, Adefowora Omotayo David, Adeji Ibrahim Olamilekan, Adeeko Kolade Emmanuel, Mimiola Victor Olamide, Egberongbe Adedayo Quam, Oyelaran Olayiwola Jeremaih, and Adeeko Kolade Emmanuel. Azeez Tolulope Ayoade, Timileyin Akinbowale, Michael Damola Olanrewaju, Ayanyemi Olaide Samuel, Boye Timilehin Emmanuel, and Timileyin Ajibola Idowu.

Abiodun was charged before Justice Iyabo Yerima, while 39 other defendants were tried between August 15 and August 23, 2022, before Justices Bayo Taiwo, Akintola Ladiran, and Olusola Adetujoye.

The one count accusation against Abiodun reads: “That you, Adeyemi Israel Abiodun and Odaise Precious Abiola (aka Prezzy) (at large) did conspire to forge various United States of America bank checks and purport same to be genuine at Ibadan, within the Ibadan Judicial Division on or about 30th March 2022 and thereby committed the offence of conspiracy to commit forgery contrary to Sections 516 and 467 of the Criminal Code Law

Abiodun and the others entered a “guilty” plea to the EFCC’s accusations leveled against them.

The prosecution’s attorneys, Modupe Akinkoye, Oyelakin Oyediran, Oluwatoyin Owodunni, Chidi Okoli, Abdulrasheed Suleiman, Mabas Mabur, and Samsuddeen Bashir, reviewed the facts of the cases in light of the defendants’ guilty pleas, submitted confessional statements and documents taken from the guilty parties as exhibits, and urged the courts to find the defendants guilty and sentence

As a result, Abiodun, Daniel, and Ayomide were found guilty and given one-year prison terms without the option of a fine, while Akiniyi received a sentence of three months in prison and six months of community service.

Other defendants were found guilty and given community service sentences of six months each.

Additionally, the court ordered Abiodun to forfeit a white Mercedes Benz CLA-250 with a customized NANS plate number worth N16 million, a gold neck chain and an ice neck chain worth N3.6 million, bitcoin worth $58, 854.88 USD, an Apple MacBook Pro 2020 Model, and an iPhone 12 Pro Max to the Federal Government of Nigeria. The court also ordered Abiodun to pay the sum of $1,000 USD (One Thousand United States Dollars) in restitution.

Other prisoners were told to return their victims and forfeit anything taken from them.

David Uwujaren

Head of Publicity & Media

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