The director of logistics of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Federal University, Oye-Ekiti Chapter, Adeyemi Israel Abiodun has been sentenced to one-year imprisonment over internet-related fraud.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, the Head of Media and Publicity of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said the Ibadan Zonal Command of the commission secured his conviction and sentencing.
Abiodun, a sophomore student of Economics and Development Studies of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State was arrested on March 30, 2022, alongside 79 others in a sting operation by the operatives of the Ibadan Zonal Command of the EFCC at Sango area of Ibadan, Oyo State for alleged internet fraud.
Investigations by the anti-graft agency revealed that between July 2021 and March 2022, Abiodun benefited N195,274,331.00 as a cumulative heist from cyber-fraud involving forgery of over 25 United States banks’ cheques.
According to the statement, Abiodun is among 40 persons convicted on separate one count charges before four judges of the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan.
He was arraigned before Justice Iyabo Yerima while 39 others were prosecuted before Justices Bayo Taiwo, Akintola Ladiran and Olusola Adetujoye between 15 and 23 August 2022.
Their offences bordered on impersonation, obtaining money under false pretence, obtaining property by false pretence and forgery contrary to Sections 419, 467, 484, 516 and 508 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
The one count charge against Abiodun reads: “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 United States of America Banks Cheques and purport same to be genuine and thereby committed the offence of conspiracy to commit forgery contrary to Section 516 and 467 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.”
Abiodun pleaded ‘guilty’ to the charges filed against him by the EFCC.
Consequently, he was convicted and sentenced to one year imprisonment without the ‘option of fine’.
Furthermore, the court ordered Abiodun to pay the sum of $1,000 in restitution and forfeit a white Mercedes Benz CLA-250 with customized NANS plate number worth N16 million, a gold neck chain and one ice neck chain worth N3.6 million, bitcoin worth $58, 854.88, one Apple MacBook Pro 2020 Model and an iPhone 12 Pro Max to the federal government of Nigeria.
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