Court jails two brothers, 33 others for internet fraud in Ibadan

The Ibadan Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of two siblings, Samuel Adedeji Adeboye and Charles Adedamola Adeboye, and 33 others for internet fraud before Justices Ladiran Akintola, Bayo Taiwo, and O.S. Adeyemi of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan.

The 33 convicts are Oluwadamilola Michael Omotayo, Boluwatife Ajewole Alaran, Michael Damilare Badaru, Oyewole Ismail Oluwatayo, Mudashiru Oluwatobi Oyebamiji, Ebuka Michael Oluwatobi, Azeez Hammed Ademola, Adelayi Adetunji Wellington, Isaac Ifeoluwapo Oke, Muraina Toheeb Adeola, Hammed Ismaheel Ayomide, Adedayo Opeyemi Ogundele, Ajose Oluwaseun Alaba, Bolarinwa Tobi Samuel, Alabi Ayomide, Omodayo Obatomiwa Adedayo, Asoro Taiwo Oluwafemi, and Sebili Ibrahim Sunday.

Others are Seun Ebenezer Anjorin, Adewale Festus Prosper, Adubi Oluwatimileyin Abiola, Lawal Qwwatullah Opeyemi, Jegede Boluwaji Victor, Waris Tomiwa Atanda, Adebayo Adeoye Okikiola, Opeyemi Uthman Adeleke, Michael Olalekan Akintola, Abdulazeez Taiwo Adisa, Ebuka Ogbonna Emmanuel, Augustine Chukwuka Okoh, Ayomide Temitope Adekunle, Edunjobi Toheeb Ayobami, and Abdulganiyu Sakiru Adebayo.

They were prosecuted on separate one-count charges each that bordered on impersonation, obtaining by false pretence, retention of proceeds of crime, and possession of fraudulent documents.

The charge against Samuel Adedeji Adeboye read: “That you, Adeboye, on or about the 8th day of June, 2024, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, falsely represented yourself as James Jonathan to Wendy Rose, which representation you knew to be false, and thereby committed an offence of impersonation contrary to Section 484 of the Criminal Code Law of Oyo State, 2000.”

The charge against Charles Adedamola Adeboye read: “That you, Charles Adedamola Adeboye, sometime in July 2018, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, aided an internet fraudster, one Olowooye David (at large), by helping him and other internet fraudsters to receive funds, which formed the proceeds of obtaining money by false pretences, wherein you benefitted the total sum of N200,000.00, thereby committing an offence of aiding the commission of a felony: obtaining money by false pretence contrary to Sections 7 (b) and 419 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 30, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.”

All the defendants pleaded “guilty” to the charges when they were read to them, prompting prosecution counsel, Modupe Akinkoye, Oluwatoyin Owodunni, Chidi Okoli, Sanusi Galadanchi, Lanre Suleiman, Shamsuddeen Bashir, and Mabas Mabur to pray the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.

Justice Akintola convicted and sentenced the Adeboye brothers to one year of imprisonment each, with N100,000.00 option of fine for Adedeji and N30,000.00 for Adedamola.

He convicted and sentenced Omotayo, Alaran, Badaru, Oluwatayo, Oyebamiji, Oluwatobi, Ademola, Adeola, Alaba, Samuel, Sunday, Anjorin, Abiola, Opeyemi, Victor, Atanda, Okikiola, Adeleke, and Akintola to one year of imprisonment each or to pay fines of N100,000.00, N50,000.00, N150,000.00, N50,000.00, N250,000.00, N50,000.00, N200,000.00, N200,000.00, N200,000.00, N200,000.00, N200,000.00, N120,000.00, N100,000.00, N50,000.00, N500,000.00, N50,000.00, N50,000.00, N50,000.00, and N50,000.00, respectively.

Also convicted and sentenced by Justice Akintola are Oluwafemi and Prosper, who both received six-month jail terms or to pay fines of N100,000.00 each.

Others are Wellington and Adedayo, who both received six months of community service or to pay fines of N100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) each; Ismaheel Ayomide, who received six months of community service without an option of fine; and the trio of Oke, Ogundele, and Alabi Ayomide, who received three months of community service or to pay fines of N50,000.00 (Fifty Thousand Naira) each.

Justice Taiwo convicted and sentenced Adisa to five months of imprisonment or to pay a fine of N150,000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira), Okoh received a four-month jail term while Emmanuel received five months of community service without an option of fine.

Justice Adeyemi, on her part, slammed Ayobami with one year of community service and three months of community service each for Adekunle and Adebayo, all without an option of fine.

Besides their sentences, all the convicts forfeited items recovered from them to the federal government. Ademola, Oyebamiji, Adeola, and Alaba forfeited four Lexus cars; Victor and Samuel forfeited two Toyota Camry cars; Ayobami forfeited a Mercedes Benz car, while Sunday forfeited an Acura car, being proceeds of their crime.