A Federal High Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, presided over by Justice Uche Agomoh on Thursday December 2, 2021 convicted and sentenced two internet fraudsters, Ogunrinde Olugbenga Akanbi and Olusegun Akinwunmi Eyinade to ten months and three months in prison respectively, on separate charges bordering on fraudulent impersonation.
The charge against Ogunrinde reads: “That you, Ogunrinde Olugbenga Akanbi “M” on or about the 11th day of February, 2021 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court fraudulently impersonated one Iga Swiatek, a female Tennis player from Warsaw, Poland via your Facebook account with Gmail address swiatekiga105@gmail.com ,with intent to gain monetary advantage for yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22(2)(b)(i) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22(2)(b) of the same Act.”
The charge against Eyinade reads, “That you, Oluwasegun Akinwunmi Eyinade ‘m’ sometime in 2020 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud aided and abetted one Ajiboye Adebayo who fraudulently impersonated one Linda Robert with intent to gained advantage for himself and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27(1)(b)of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22(2)(b)(iv) of the same Act”.
Justice Agomo convicted and sentenced Ogunrinde to ten months imprisonment, while Eyinade bagged three months.
Ogunrinde who has already refunded the sum of $300 USD (Three Hundred United States Dollars) to his victim through the Federal government of Nigeria, also forfeits one Techno Spark 4 mobile phone and a small itel phone to the federal government of Nigeria.
Eyinade was ordered to restitute the sum of N171, 056 (One Hundred and Seventy One Thousand, Fifty Six Naira) and forfeits an iPhone 7 mobile phone to the Federal Government.