Man, 20, jailed over romance scam

Justice Mahmood Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, has on Monday sentenced a Lagos-based 20-year-old man, Oke Gideon, to 30 days imprisonment over romance scam and internet fraud.

The convict was arrested on May 4, 2021 by operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following intelligence reports on his nefarious activities.

The commission said Gideon admitted to committing the crime of engaging in dating scam, love scam, and other internet activities.

He was subsequently arraigned in court on Friday, July 2, 2021, on two counts, to which he pleaded guilty.

Following his plea, counsel to the EFCC, Sesan Ola, led one Sarah Audu, an operative of the commission, to review the facts of the case.

fraud-related

Audu who narrated how Gideon was arrested based on actionable intelligence also tendered confessional statements of the convict as well as fraudulent messages printed from his email which were all admitted in evidence.

In his judgment on Monday, Justice Abdulgafar convicted and sentenced Gideon based on his confessional statements, his plea to the charge and the exhibits tendered against him before the court.

The judge however gave him an option of fine of N50,000 and ordered that his iPhone 6 and HP laptop which were used as instruments in the crime be forfeited to the federal government.