Adeyemi Israel Abiodun, the director of logistics for the National Association of Nigerian Students at Federal University in Oye-Ekiti has been found guilty of online fraud and sentenced to one year in prison by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
WHAT WE KNOW
The NANS leader is one of 40 people who were found guilty on individual counts by four judges of the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan.
The EFCC’s Ibadan Zonal Command prosecuted the cases, according to Wilson Uwujaren, the organization’s head of media and publicity, who made this claim in a statement made accessible to our correspondent on Wednesday.
According to the anti-corruption agency, their violations of Sections 419, 467, 484, 516, and 508 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000, centered on impersonation, collecting money under pretense, obtaining property under pretense, and forgery.
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 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.
NOTABLE QUOTE
According to the one-count charge levied against him:
“That you, Adeyemi Israel Abiodun and Odaise 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 offense of conspiracy to commit forgery contrary to Section 516 and 467 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.”
To the allegations brought against them by the EFCC, Abiodun and others entered a “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 defendant’s 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 them accordingly.
As a result, Abiodun, Daniel, and Ayomide were found guilty and given one-year prison terms without the option of paying 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 $1 million, a gold neck chain and one ice neck chain worth N3.6 million, bitcoin worth $58, 854.88 USD, one Apple MacBook Pro 2020 Model, and an iPhone 12 Pro Max to the Federal Government of Nigeria. The court also ordered Abiodun to pay $1,000 USD (one thousand United States dollars) in restitution.
Other prisoners were told to return their victims and forfeit whatever taken from them.
It will be recalled that on March 30, 2022, 79 (seventy-nine) other students from the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, including 200-level Economics and Development Studies student Abiodun, were detained in a sting operation by agents from the EFCC’s Ibadan Zonal Command in the Sango neighborhood of Ibadan, Oyo State, for allegedly engaging in online fraud.
Investigations showed that Abiodun received 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 the forging of more than 25 US banks’ checks between July 2021 and March 2022.
