Adeyemi Israel Abiodun, the Director of Logistics of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Federal University, Oye-Ekiti Chapter, has been sentenced to 1-year imprisonment over internet-related fraud.
The Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured the conviction of Abiodun.
Abiodun who is a 200-level student of Economics and Development Studies at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti in Ekiti state was among 40 persons who were convicted on separate one count charges before four judges of the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan.
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Abiodun was arraigned before Justice Iyabo Yerima while Thirty-nine others were prosecuted before Justices Bayo Taiwo, Akintola Ladiran and Olusola Adetujoye between August 15, 2022 and August 23, 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.
Abiodun was arrested on March 30, 2022, alongside seventy-nine (79) others in a sting operation by the operatives of the Ibadan Zonal Command of the EFCC at Sango area of Ibadan, Oyo State.
Investigations 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 US banks cheques.
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 and others however pleaded “guilty” to the charges filed against them by the EFCC.
Consequently, Abiodun alongside two others (Daniel and Ayomide) were convicted and sentenced to one year imprisonment each without the “option of fine”, while one Akiniyi bagged three months jailed term and six months community service.
Meanwhile other defendants were convicted and sentenced to six months community service each.
The court also ordered Abiodun to pay the sum of $1,000USD in restitution and forfeit a white Mercedes Benz CLA-250 with customized NANS plate number worth N16million, a gold neck chain and one ice neck chain worth N3.6million, bitcoin worth $58, 854.88USD, one Apple MacBook Pro 2020 Model and an iPhone 12 Pro Max to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Other convicts were ordered to restitute their victims and forfeit all items recovered from them.
