In Ilorin, a fake American widow receives a three-year prison sentence
Close-up. Arrested man handcuffed hands at the back. Prisoner or arrested terrorist, close-up of hands in handcuffs, selective focus.
In Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, a false American widow was sentenced to three years in prison on Thursday.
Aderibigbe Sheu, the convict, was sentenced by Justice Muhammed Sani of the Federal High Court in Ilorin.
Sheu, a Kwara State University (KWASU) student, Malete was accused of impersonating a widow living in the United States of America in order to swindle unsuspecting people.
He was charged with one count of cybercrime and retention of proceeds of crime before an Ilorin court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Wilson Uwujaren, an EFCC spokesman, said the suspect pled guilty to the charge at his arraignment on Thursday.
Following his “guilty plea,” EFCC attorney Rasheedat Alao reviewed the facts of the case and presented the defendant’s extrajudicial statements, which included his phone, laptop, and other damning materials printed from his devices, all of which were allowed into evidence.
She requested that the court evaluate the defendant’s plea, extrajudicial declarations, and all materials presented in order to convict him as charged.
In his decision, Justice Sani declared Aderibigbe guilty of the offence and sentenced him to three years in prison with the option of a fine of N982,403.
The iPhone 7+ and laptop used in the crime were also ordered to be forfeited to the Federal Government by the court.
In a similar vein, Justice Sani found one Awoleye Bolaji, who claimed to be from the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State, guilty of an internet fraud-related offense on Thursday.
Awoleye is accused of impersonating an American lady named Karan Vanslack with the goal of defrauding unsuspecting victims in violation of Section 22 (2) (b)(ii) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015.
Following the defendant’s guilty plea, EFCC Counsel Sesan Ola examined the facts of the case and presented one iPhone 6, the defendants’ admissions, and all of the fake texts printed from his device, all of which were allowed in evidence.
Justice Sani sentenced the defendant to a year in prison, with a fine of N100,000 as an option, and ordered that the iPhone 6 he used to commit the offence be forfeited to the Federal Government.
