Lecturer convicted over romance scam in Ilorin

 

A 38-year-old lecturer at the Kwara State College of Health Technology, Offa, Adebisi Ademola, was on Friday sentenced to six months imprisonment for his involvement in romance scam.

Justice Sikiru Oyinloye, of the Kwara state high court sitting in Ilorin, convicted Ademola.

He was among the 33 suspected fraudsters arrested on September 14, 2020 in Offa area of the state.

The Ilorin Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arraigned the suspect on a count charge bordering on romance scam, an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 95 of the Penal code law of Northern Nigeria.

The charge sheet read; ” That you, Adebisi Ademola ( a.k.a Dawn Ayero) sometime in September 2020, or thereabout within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, attempted to commit an offence of cheating by personation by pretending and representing yourself to be a white lady called Dawn Ayero to one Donald Oakes, who is purportedly in love with the said Oakes as it is contained in your Gmail account; dawnayero@gmail.com and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 95 of the Penal code laws of Northern Nigeria.”

Ademola, pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him.

Following his ‘guilty plea’, Counsel to the anti-graft agency, Andrew Akoja, invited an operative of the commission, Olumide Olasode, to the witness box to review the facts of the information case.

Olasode, narrated how intelligence report led to the arrest of the defendant on September 14,2020 at Offa area of Kwara state.

Petition from concerned citizens of Offa, statement of the defendant and all the fraudulent messages printed out of his email, were tendered and admitted in evidence by the court.

Thereafter, Akoja, urged the court to convict the defendant based on his plea, the exhibits tendered and the evidence of the sole prosecution witness (PW1).

Justice Oyinloye, in his judgement, found Ademola guilty of the charge and accordingly sentenced him.

He however, gave him M50,000 option of fine, and ordered the forfeiture of his phone used as the instrument to commit the crime to the federal government.