Cybercrime: UNILORIN final-year student jailed for two years

A high court sitting in Kwara state has sentenced Ajani Samuel, a final-year student of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), to two years in prison for cybercrime and romance scam.

According to NAN, Samuel was convicted and sentenced to jail on Thursday.

The development comes after the Ilorin zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured the student’s conviction.

Sikiru Oyinloye, the presiding judge, said the court considered the evidence placed before it and the plea of guilt entered by the defendant.

“The evidence of the sole prosecution witness remained credible and reliable, even after the cross-examination. The defendant entered defense but failed during the evidence of the prosecution,” Oyinloye said.

“This honourable court holds the view that the prosecution has succeeded in proving its case beyond reasonable doubts.  The defendant is hereby convicted as charged.”

The judge sentenced Samuel to six months imprisonment on count one with N50,000 as option of fine.

He also sentenced the convict to two years imprisonment on count two with N200,000 as an option of fine.

According to the court, the sentences will run concurrently.

It also ordered the forfeiture of the convict’s iPhones, laptop, and the manager’s bank cheque of N100,000, raised as restitution by the convict to his victims.

One of the charges against the convict reads: “Sometimes in June, 2020 and May, 2021 at Ilorin, Ajani knowingly had under his control, the sum of 9, 348 dollars through your blockchain wallet linked to your [email protected].

“The money you knew to have been unlawfully obtained, thereby,  committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under section 319A of the Penal code.”