Oyo court sends siblings, 33 others to jail over internet fraud

Oyo zone office of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission has secured the convictions of two siblings, Adedeji Adeboye and Adedamola Adeboye, and 33 others for involvement in internet-related fraud at the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan.

This was disclosed in a statement and pictures shared on the X.com page of the anti-graft agency on Friday.

According to the statement, the convicts were tried before Justices Ladiran Akintola, Bayo Taiwo, and O.S. Adeyemi of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan.

The statement reads, ” The Ibadan Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured the conviction of two siblings, Samuel /Adedeji Adeboye and Charles Adedamola Adeboye and thirty-three (33) others for internet fraud before Justices Ladiran Akintola, Bayo Taiwo and O.S. Adeyemi of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan.

“The 33 convicts are Oluwadamilola Michael Omotayo, Boluwatife Ajewole Alaran, Michael Damilare Badaru, Oyewole Ismail Oluwatayo, Mudashiru Oluwatobi Oyebamiji, Ebuka Michael Oluwatobi, Azeez Hammed Ademola, Adelayi Adetunji Wellington, Isaac Ifeoluwapo Oke, Muraina Toheeb Adeola, Hammed Ismaheel Ayomide, Adedayo Opeyemi Ogundele, Ajose Oluwaseun Alaba, Bolarinwa Tobi Samuel, Alabi Ayomide, Omodayo Obatomiwa Adedayo, Asoro Taiwo Oluwafemi and Sebili Ibrahim Sunday. Others are: Seun Ebenezer Anjorin, Adewale Festus Prosper, Adubi Oluwatimileyin Abiola, Lawal Qwwatullah Opeyemi, Jegede Boluwaji Victor, Waris Tomiwa Atanda, Adebayo Adeoye Okikiola, Opeyemi Uthman Adeleke, Michael Olalekan Akintola, Abdulazeez Taiwo Adisa, Ebuka Ogbonna Emmanuel, Augustine Chukwuka Okoh, Ayomide Temitope Adekunle, Edunjobi Toheeb Ayobami and Abdulganiyu Sakiru Adebayo.”

The statement also revealed that during the trial, the siblings pleaded guilty to charges read to them. However, the court sentenced them to a year of imprisonment with the option of a fine.

It added, “They were prosecuted on separate one-count charge each that bordered on impersonation, obtaining by false pretence, retention of proceeds of crime and possession of fraudulent documents.

“The charge against Samuel Adedeji Adeboye reads: “That you Adeboye on or about the 8th day of June 2024, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, falsely represented yourself as James Jonathan to Wendy Rose, which representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence of impersonation contrary to Section 484 of the Criminal Code Law of Oyo State, 2000.

“The charge against Charles Adedamola Adeboye reads: “That you, Charles Adedamola Adeboye sometime in July 2018, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, aided an internet fraudster, one Olowooye David (at large) by helping him and other internet fraudsters to receive funds, which form the proceed of obtaining money by false pretences, wherein you benefitted the total sum N200,000.00 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira), thereby committed an offence of aiding the commission of felony: obtaining money by false pretence contrary to Sections 7 (b) and 419 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 30, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.

“All the defendants pled “guilty” to the charges when they were read to them, prompting prosecution counsel, Modupe Akinkoye, Oluwatoyin Owodunni, Chidi Okoli, Sanusi Galadanchi, Lanre Suleiman, Shamsuddeen Bashir and Mabas Mabur to pray the court to convict and sentence them accordingly. Justice Akintola convicted and sentenced the Adeboye brothers to one-year imprisonment each, with N100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) option of fine for Adedeji and N30,000.00 (Thirty Thousand Naira) for Adedamola.”