Court jails UBEC Staff, varsity graduate for cybercrime in Kwara

Justice Muhammed Sanni of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, on Thursday sentenced a staff of Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board, Olubola Olusola Sunday and one Ade-Ajayi Oluwatobi, a graduate of Ekiti State University (EKSU), to various jail terms having found them guilty of offences bordering on cybercrime.

Olubola, 29, was prosecuted on three counts and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.

Oluwatobi, 19, bagged a one-year jail term, having pleaded guilty to a separate one-count charge preferred against him by the Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC).

The duo were arraigned on Thursday by the anti-graft agency.

Following their pleas, Counsel to the EFCC, Andrew Akoja, reviewed the facts of the two cases through Olasode Olumide and Emezie Peter Kachi, both operatives of the Commission.

The two witnesses, in their separate testimonies, told the court how they were arrested in Ado-Ekiti based on credible intelligence reports.

They tendered documents which included statements of the defendants, 2 iPhones, First Bank manager’s cheque (bank draft) of N417,000 and photocopies of particulars of the vehicle recovered from one of the defendants among others.

Akoja, thereafter urged the court to convict the defendants based on their pleas and the evidence placed before it.

In his judgment, Justice Sanni said the prosecution proved the two cases beyond reasonable doubt, citing the pleas of guilt entered by the defendants, the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses and exhibits tendered and plea bargain agreements.

Consequently, the judge sentenced Olubola to six months imprisonment on each of the three counts against him, to run concurrently. He, however, gave the option of fine of N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) on each count.

He also ordered the forfeiture of the iPhone, First Bank manager’s cheque (bank draft) of N417,000 to the Federal Government.

In sentencing Oluwatobi, Justice Sanni gave him a term of one year imprisonment with option of fine of N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira Only).

The court also ordered that Lexus Ex350 saloon car and iPhone 11 pro recovered from him be forfeited to the Federal Government.