The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured the conviction of one Aderibigbe Sheu, a student of Kwara State University, KWASU, Malete, for posing as a widow resident in the United States of America, USA, to defraud unsuspecting victims.
A statement released by the antigraft agency says Aderibigbe, a native of Osogbo, Osun State Capital, was one of the 30 suspected internet fraudsters arrested in Malete, Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State on September 19, 2021 during a sting operation by operatives of the EFCC. He was charged was by the anti-graft agency on one count of cybercrime and retention of proceeds of crime before Justice Muhammed Sani of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin.
Upon arraignment on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, the defendant pleaded guilty to the charge.
Following his ‘guilty plea’, counsel to the EFCC, Rasheedat Alao, reviewed the facts of the case and tendered the extra-judicial statements of the defendant including the phone, laptop and other incriminating materials printed from his devices, which were admitted in evidence.
She urged the court to consider the guilty plea of the defendant, his extra-judicial statements, and all the exhibits tendered to convict the defendant as charged.
In his judgment, Justice Sani having held that the court is satisfied with the evidence before it pronounced Aderibigbe guilty of the charge and sentenced him to 3years imprisonment with option N982,403 (Nine Hundred and Eighty Two Thousand, Four Hundred and Three Naira Only). The court also ordered that the iphone 7+ and laptop, which were used to perpetrate the crime be forfeited to the Federal Government.
