Eight Suspected Yahoo Boys Nabbed in Two Abuja Estate

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has secured the conviction of four persons for offences bordering on internet fraud and retention of proceeds of criminal conduct.

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Justice Mahmoud Abdulgafar convicted and sentenced Dauda Soliu Tunde, Lambe Taiye, Omogbolahan Ibrahim Wasiu and Olorunfemi Ayobami to various jail terms, having pronounced them guilty of the charges brought against them.

One of the charges against Dauda reads; “That you, Dauda Soliu Tunde, sometime between the month of January 2021 and December 2021, in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, knowingly had under your control the gross sum of N1,752,290.00 (One Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty-two Thousand, Two Hundred Naira Only) in your bank Account Number 0214775928 domiciled with Guaranty Trust Bank, Which you knew to be unlawfully obtained and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 319A of the Penal Code Law”

One of the charges against Omogbolahan reads: “That you, Omogbolahan Ibrahim Wasiu, sometime between the months of January 2020 and November 2020, in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, Knowingly had under your control the gross sum of N3,032,545.00 (Three Million, Thirty-Two Thousand, Five Hundred and Forty-Five Naira Only) in your Bank Account Number 0245521339 domiciled with Wema Bank PLC. Which you knew to be 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.

Sesan Ola and Mukhtar Kaigama who prosecuted the cases on behalf of the EFCC, reviewed the facts of the cases through the witnesses who are operatives of the Commission. The witnesses narrated the circumstances that led to the arrest of the defendants and they tendered the extra-judicial statements, phones and laptops recovered from them at the point of arrest, which were admitted in evidence.

They urged the court to hold that the prosecution had proved its cases beyond reasonable doubt and convict the defendants as charged.

Justice Abdulgafar upheld the submission of the prosecution that the Commission convict the defendant as charged.

The Judge sentenced Dauda to six months imprisonment which should be suspended subject to good conduct under the supervision of probation officer at Mandala Correctional Centre and ordered that the convict’s iPhone 11 and 12 Pro Max and the sum of N300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira) Only recovered from him be forfeited to the Federal Government.

Omogbolahan on the other hand bagged six months suspended sentence and ordered to forfeit his Hyundai Sonata car, phones and laptops, as well the sum of N300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira).

Lambe’s case is not different. He bagged six months imprisonment on each of the two counts to run concurrently. The court ordered that the iPhone 12 and one Lexus ES 350 car belonging to him be forfeited to the Federal Government.

Justice Abdulgafar also sentenced Olorunfemi to six months imprisonment on each of the four counts to run concurrently. The judge ordered that one iPhone 13 and a Toyota Camry belonging to the convict be forfeited to the Federal Government.

In a related development, the Abuja Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, arrested eight suspected internet fraudsters.

The suspects are Usifo Mophy, Eze Richard, Abdulkadir Sadiq and Emmanuel Joseph. Others are Tuoyo Kelvin, Joel Omojevwe, Joshua Omojevwe and Oreva Omojevwe.

They were apprehended at EFAB Estate Gwarimpa and Federal Housing Authority Estate, Nyanya, Abuja following credible intelligence about their internet-related fraud activities.

Items recovered from them include over 10 phones of different makes, HP laptops, a MacBook, 2 Toyota Camry cars, a Mercedes Benz C300 and a Lexus RX 350.

The suspects will be charged to court as soon as the investigation is concluded.

Rtn. Victor Ojelabi

Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.