Twenty-six-year-old Jailed for Internet fraud in Ilorin

Tunde Akanbi, Ilorin

A 26-year-old resident of Ojapata town in Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State, Usman Harun, has been sentenced to six months in prison for engaging in internet fraud and possessing proceeds of unlawful activity.

The verdict was delivered by Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin. Usman was found guilty of the one-count charge filed against him by the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The charge reads:

“That you, Usman Harun sometime in February 2024 in Malete, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did knowingly had under your control the sum of fifteen thousand naira (N15,000) in your account number 000380275 domiciled in Jaiz Bank Plc, which you knew to be unlawfully obtained and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable Section 319 of the Penal Code.”

The defendant pleaded guilty when the charge was read to him.

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Upon his plea, counsel to the EFCC, Charles Oni reviewed the facts of the case and tendered the statements of the defendant. He also tendered in evidence items recovered from him at the point of arrest.

Justice Abdulgafar, while delivering his judgment said: “I found as a fact, from the totality of the unchallenged evidence placed before the court that the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and hereby pronounced you, Usman Harun guilty of the offence.”

Consequently, the judge sentenced the accused to six months imprisonment with an option of N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira Only) as fine and ordered that the phone used to perpetrate the crime and the sum of N15,000 (Fifteen Thousand Naira Only) which the convict benefited, be forfeited to the Federal Government.