The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Ilorin, Kwara State, has secured the conviction of four persons, including a 21-year-old cinematographer, Abiodun Ayomide, over offences bordering on impersonation and Internet fraud.

Other suspects include Bello Damola, Azeez Olarewaju, and Aderoju Ridwan.

The spokesperson for the agency, Wilson Uwuajaren, in a statement, said Abiodun and Bello were prosecuted on separate charges before Justice Adebayo Yusuf.

He added that Azeez and Aderoju were prosecuted before Justice Adenike Akinpelu of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin.

Count two of the charge against Abiodun read, “That you, Abiodun Ayomide, sometime in January 2020 to December 2020 in Ilorin, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did knowingly have under your control the sum of N7,190,187 paid into your Access Bank account number 0108778482, which is reasonably suspected to be unlawfully obtained and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 319A of the Penal Code Law and Punishable under the same law.”

On the other hand, the charge against Aderoju read, “That you, Aderoju Ridwan Kayode, sometime between August 2021 and August 2022, at Ilorin, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did knowingly have under your control, the sum of N2,847,045 being paid into your Guaranty Trust Bank with account number 0658100735, reasonably suspected of having been unlawfully obtained and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 319A of the Penal Code Law.”

The defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges.

Following their guilty pleas, Innocent Mbachie, Rashidat Alao and Isabel Adeniran, who prosecuted the cases on behalf of the commission, reviewed the facts of the cases and tendered exhibits, which were admitted in evidence.

They urged the Justices to hold that the prosecution had proved the essential ingredients of the case to warrant the defendants’ conviction.

In his judgement, Justice Yusuf sentenced Abiodun to six months imprisonment on each of the four counts, with an option of N100,000 on each count.

The judge ordered that one Toyota Camry, 2007 model, the sum of $200, N100,000 which the convict brought as restitution, an HP laptop and an iPhone 8 Plus be forfeited to the Federal Government.

Justice Yusuf equally sentenced Bello to six months imprisonment with an option of N50,000.

The court ordered that one iPhone 7, an HP laptop which was used to perpetrate the crime and the sum of $500 be forfeited to the Federal Government.

In the same vein, Justice Akinpelu sentenced Azeez to three months imprisonment with an option of N100,000.

The court ordered the convict to forfeit the sum of $200, which he restituted, and one Apple iPhone XR to the Federal Government.

Aderoju, on the other hand, bagged six months imprisonment with an option of N200,000.

Justice Akinpelu also ordered the convict to forfeit his Lexus ES 350 car, the sum of N403,000, iPhone 12 Promax, Apple iPhone XR and an HP laptop to the Federal Government.