The Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, has sentenced five internet fraudsters, known in local parlance as Yahoo Boys to prison for defrauding their hapless victims of their hard earned resources.
This was revealed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, at its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, @officialEFCC, on Saturday.
In the release, the leading anti-graft agency said its Ilorin Zonal Command secured the conviction and sentencing of the five internet fraudsters before Justices Adenike Akinpelu and Mahmoud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin.
The EFCC gave the names of the convicts as: Oyedepo Olamilekan Benjamin, Suleiman Saheed Olayinka, Fakeye Tolulope Emmanuel, Great Ukueni and Adeshina Joseph Oluwaseun.
The convicts, the agency added, were prosecuted on different separate count charges before the judges and they all pleaded guilty to their respective charges.
Upon their guilty pleas, the release continues, prosecuting counsels, Andrew Akoja, Mustapha Kaigama and Isabel Adeniran, narrated the circumstances that led to the convicts’ arrest. The prosecutors urged the court to consider the plea of the defendants, the extra judicial statements and all the exhibits tendered to convict the defendants as charged.
In her judgment, Justice Akinpelu sentenced Benjamin to six months imprisonment with an option of fine of N150,000 and ordered the forfeiture to the Federal Governmentof one Apple Iphone X; one Hp laptop, and $457 that the convict benefited from the unlawful activities.
Similarly, the Judge also sentenced Olayinka to six months imprisonment with an option of N100,000 and ordered that one Samsung A03 phone recovered from the convict be forfeited to the Federal Government.
Justice Akinpelu equally sentenced Emmanuel to six months imprisonment an with option of fine of N100,000 while she ordered that the sum of $400, one phone and hp laptop belonging to the convict be forfeited to the Federal Government.
On the other hand, Justice Abdulgafar gave Ukueni a suspended sentence of six months imprisonment and ordered the forfeiture of one Dell Laptop that the convict tused as instrument of crime.
The court also sentenced Oluwaseun to six months imprisonment with an option of fine of N100,000 and ordered the forfeiture of one iphone 13 promax and a sum of $250 recovered from the convict.