NYSC Member, 4 Others Bag Jail Terms For Cybercrime
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – For criminal acts bordering on cybercrime and possession of fraudulent funds, the Kwara State High Court has sentenced a 28-year-old member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Adamu Shaibu, to nine years imprisonment.
The convict is currently undertaking his one year compulsory national service in Igara Local Government Area of Edo State.
He was arrested and arraigned
by the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on three counts charge before Justice Adebayo Yusuf of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin on Monday.
A statement by the anti-graft Agency indicated that Shaibu, an indigene of Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi State, was convicted alongside four other suspects.
They are: Olasupo Abdullateef Olawale, from Iwo Local Government Area of Osun State; Aguh Henry Chicherem from Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State; Ridwan Abiodun Abdulganiyu and Qozeem Shuaib from Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Count one of the charges brought against Shaibu states thus; “That you, Adamu Shaibu, between April and August 2021 in Lokoja; within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court did retain the control of the sum of $164 USD through a cash app you fraudulently obtained from one Baraman; which you knew to be proceeds of criminal conduct and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 17 (a) & (b) of the Economic and Financial Crimes (Establishment) Act, 2004.”
Prosecuting the cases on behalf of the EFCC, Rasheedat Alao and Aliyu Adebayo tendered in evidence the statements as well as items recovered from the defendants and urged the courts to convict them as charged.
Ruling on the case, the presiding Judge, Justice Yusuf sentenced Shaibu to three years imprisonment on each of the three counts brought against him; with an option of returning all that he benefited from the crime. The judge ordered that the convict’s two mobile phones and a draft brought by him as restitution be forfeited to the Nigerian Government.
“The judge also sentenced Olasupo to three years imprisonment on each of the two counts preferred against him; with an option of fine of N1,043,171 on Count One and N10,840,574.86 on Count Two.
The judge also ordered that the convict forfeits his two phones and one MacBook; which he used to perpetrate the crime to the Federal Government.
On his part, Aguh bagged two years imprisonment or a fine of N400,000 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira Only). He is also to forfeit his 2014 Toyota Camry Car, Mac iPad Pro, Samsung S9, and iPhone 6S.
Similarly, the Court sentenced Ridwan to a prison term of two years; with an option of N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) fine, and ordered the forfeiture of one Infinix phone; which he used as an instrumentality of the crime.
The EFCC statement further said that the last defendant, Qozeem Shuaib was sentenced to six months imprisonment; with an option of N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira Only) fine.
