The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, July 11, 2019, secured the conviction and sentencing of four internet fraudsters, Shotayo Ahmed, Ale Olugbenga Abraham, Preye Kinsley and Akintoye Toluwalope for possession of fraudulent documents before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.

One of the counts reads: "That you, Shotayo Ahmed, on or about the 8th day of December, 2018 at Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division of this Honourable Court, had in your possession an email opened with the name madeleinepalm133@yahoo.com, wherein you chatted with a white man represented yourself to be a lady in order to create a relationship to entice him to give you money which document was printed out from your email account madeleinepalm133@yahoo.com in your presence, which you ought to know, having regards to the circumstances of the case, that the document contains the false pretence."

Also on Thursday, July 11, 2019, Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, convicted and sentenced four internet fraudsters, Ibrahim Habeeb Olalekan, Ogunlami Adetokunbo Gabriel, Adeosun Adeyemi and Sadiq Adeola, to one year imprisonment each for possession of fraudulent documents.

One of the counts reads: "That you, Ibrahim Habeeb Olalekan, on or about the 13th day of June, 2019, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, had in your possession document titled "persona Info”, where you represented yourself as Nancy Crawhorn (a female), which representations you knew or ought to have known to be false." They pleaded guilty to the charges preferred against them by the Commission when they were arraigned.

In view of their pleas of guilt, the prosecution counsels, Samuel Daji, E.S.Okon and Ukemruwem Anana, informed the court that the defendants had entered into a "plea bargain" with the EFCC.

Consequently, the facts of the case against the defendants were reviewed by the prosecution.

The prosecution counsels informed Justice Taiwo’s court of the defendants' confessional statements to the EFCC and that several items were recovered from them.

Their statements as well as documents recovered from them were tendered and admitted in evidence by the court.

In view of this, the prosecution urged the court to “convict the defendants as charged in the plea bargain agreement".

Justice Taiwo, after perusing the facts before the court, convicted and sentenced both Ahmed and Abraham to three months imprisonment each.

The Judge also convicted and sentenced Kinsley and Toluwalope to four months imprisonment each.

All items recovered from the defendants were ordered to be forfeited to the Federal Government.

Justice Taiwo further gave Ahmed, Toluwalope and Abraham an "option of fine" of N250, 000.00 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) each.

The Judge, however, refused Kinsley an option of fine.

The defendants before Justice Dada also pleaded guilty to the charges when they were read to them. In view of their pleas of guilt, the prosecution informed the court that the defendants had entered into a "plea bargain" with the EFCC.

The facts of the case against the defendants were reviewed by the prosecution. The prosecution also told the court that the defendants wrote confessional statements to the EFCC and that several items were recovered from them.

The defendants’ statements to the EFCC as well as the documents recovered from them were tendered and admitted in evidence by the court. The prosecution, therefore, urged the court to convict the defendants as charged in the plea bargain agreement".

After going through the facts of the case before the court, Justice Dada convicted and sentenced the defendants to one year imprisonment each.

The Judge also ordered that all items recovered from the convicts be forfeited to the Federal Government. Justice Dada, however, gave the convicts an option of fine of N250, 000 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) each.

The Judge further ordered the convicts to write an "undertaking" with the EFCC, promising never to go back to the crime.

The convicts were further ordered to be remanded in prison custody pending the fulfillment of the option of fine.