The Federal High Court on Tuesday convicted two students for internet fraud in Abuja.
The convicts are Adefemi Dare and Adeyemi Olugbenga, 400-level Mechanical Engineering and Political Science students respectively of Ekiti State University, Ekiti.
The students were convicted after pleading guilty to the fraud.
The EFCC alleged that Dare, sometime ago in Ekiti fraudulently impersonated Brian Watkins of the U.S. with intent to obtain property.
The EFCC also alleged that Olugbenga fraudulently impersonated an American known as Paul Edwin to extort the Sum of N500,000 from a victim who resides in the US.
Both convicts committed an offence contrary to Section 22 (2) b (II) of the Cyber Crimes, Prohibition, Prevention etc Act, 2015 and punishable under Section (22) (2) b (IV) of the same Act.
Delivering judgment, Justice Nkeonye Maha held that because Dare was a first time offender and cooperated with the EFCC, the Court sentenced him to three months imprisonment with an option of N200,000 to be paid to the Federal Government.
She also ordered that Dare’s IPhone X should be sold and proceeds remitted to the federal government.
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Justice Maha also ordered the convict to swear to an affidavit to be of good behaviour.
Likewise, while passing judgment, the judge ordered that Olugbenga’s iPhone X, Tecno Pouvoir phone and Hp laptop be sold by the EFCC and remit the proceeds to the government.
Justice Maha sentenced Olugbenga to three months imprisonment with an option of N250,000 be paid to the federal government.
She also said that the bank draft for N500,000 recovered from the defendant be paid to the victim through the British High Commission.
She however warned that failure to comply to these orders within four months from the day of judgment, the defaulting party will be sanctioned.
A plea bargain agreement was applied for on Aug.22 and filed Sept. 9 for both defendants separately.
The plea bargain was in pursuant to section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
The EFCC, said that Dare was arrested sometime in Aug. following investigations which revealed that the defendant had registered an American phone number on his Watsapp to chat with victims.
The anti graft agency also said that Olugbenga was arrested on Aug. 7 in Ekiti state.
The EFCC said the convict during the course of investigation admitted to receiving N500,000 through Western Union from his victim in the U.S.
