EFCC Arrests 37 Suspected Internet Fraudsters in Ilorin

Operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, March 26, 2025 arrested15 suspected internet fraudsters in Tanke Oke-Odo area of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

Officers of the Directorate had earlier on Friday, March 22, 2025 arrested 22 suspected internet fraudsters in Tanke, Alao Farm Estate, Yidi Road, and Irewolede areas of Ilorin.

The arrest of the suspects followed credible intelligence that linked them to fraudulent internet activities. Items recovered from them at the point of arrest included eight luxury cars, smartphones and high-end laptop computers.  

Both arrests brought to 37, the number of suspected internet fraudsters, rounded up in Ilorin by the anti-graft in a space of one week.

The suspects will be charged in court upon the conclusion of investigations.

Source: EFCC 

BDC Operators Bag Sentences in Kwara

Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State has sentenced one Musa Buba to 300 (Three Hundred) hours of community service at the rate of five hours of work per day for operating bureau de change without a valid licence. The sentence is without an option of a fine.

Similarly, he sentenced one Akinwale Olamilekan from Owena Ijesha in Oriade Local Government Area of Osun State to 300 (Three Hundred) hours of community service, also at the rate of five hours of work daily for commiting internet fraud. The sentence is without an option of a fine.

Both convicts were arraigned on March 20, 2025 by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on separate one-count charge, bordering on illegal operation of BDC services and fraudulent impersonation, respectively.

The charge against Buba reads: "That you, Musa Buba, sometime in July 2024 at Chikanda Market, Yashikira District, Baruten Local Government Area, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did carry on the business of another financial institution, to wit: Bureau de Change Business, without a valid license issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria, contrary to Section 57 (1) & (2) of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act, 2020, and punishable under Section 57(5)(b) of the same Act."

The charge against Olamilekan reads: "That you, Akinwale Olamilekan (Alias: Mary Williams), sometime in November 2024, within the judicial division of the Federal High Court, did fraudulently impersonate one Mary Williams via your iMessage account to obtain the sum of $950 (Nine Hundred and Fifty US Dollars) from one Mark Durham, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 22 (2)(b)(ii) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act and punishable under Section 22 (2)(b)(iv) of the same Act."

They pleaded “guilty” to their respective charge.

Convinced by the facts of the case and the uncontroverted evidence, presented by prosecution counsel, Andrew Akoja, Justice Awogboro convicted and sentenced them accordingly.

In addition to his sentence, Buba forfeited to the federal government the sum of 409,500 CFA and N1,973,200 (One Million, Nine Hundred and Seventy-Three Thousand, Two Hundred Naira Only), recovered from him at the point of arrest, while Akinwale restituted his victim with the sum of $450 (Four Hundred and Fifty US Dollars), being proceeds of his crime. He also forfeited iPhone 12 Pro Max, being the instrument of his crime to the federal government.

Source: EFCC 

Court Jails Man for Internet Fraud in Kwara

Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court, sitting in Ilorin on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, convicted and sentenced one Olowookere Temitope to six months imprisonment for internet fraud.

The convict was prosecuted by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on a one-count charge that bordered on cheating by personation. 

 

The charges reads: "That you, Olowookere Temitope, sometime between 2023 and 2024 in Offa, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did cheat by personation when you pretended to be  unsypathisch, a verified streaming app,  and in that guise induced one psychological wolf, via your discord account on twitch to send you the sum of $400 (Four Hundred Dollars) which you did receive via Gift Cards and  thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the same Penal Code.”

He pleaded “guilty” to the charge following which prosecution counsel, Innocent Mbachie reviewed the facts of the case, tendered the convict’s extra-judicial statements in evidence, including the sum of $300 (Three Hundred United States Dollars) recovered from him and prayed the court to convict and sentence him as charged.

Convinced that the prosecution has proven its case beyond reasonable doubt, Justice Abdulgafar sentenced Olowookere to six months suspended jail term and ordered that the sum of $300 (Three Hundred United States Dollars)  recovered from him be forfeited to the federal government.

Source: EFCC 

Alleged N5.8Billion Fraud: How Former Kwara Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed Diverted UBEC’s Funds

The trial of the immediate past Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his Finance Commissioner, Ademola Banu, over alleged misappropriation of N5.78 billion public funds continued on Wednesday, March 11, 2024, before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin.

At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, the EFCC presented its second witness, PW 2, Dr. Musa Oladimeji Dasuki, a retired Permanent Secretary at the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), who served between 2011 and 2020.

Led in evidence by EFCC counsel Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, Dasuki testified that the Kwara State Government, under the leadership of the first defendant as governor and the second defendant as finance commissioner, requested UBEC funds for the years 2013 and 2014 to pay teachers' salaries.

According to Dasuki: "The then Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, who is the second defendant in this case, initially made an oral request for the release of the 2013 UBEC Matching Grant to pay teachers' salaries. However, we insisted that such a request must be made in writing. Subsequently, the commissioner sent a letter conveying His Excellency’s approval for the release of the funds. As a result, the money was deposited into the state government's account domiciled with Skye Bank Plc."

Dasuki further explained that SUBEB initially opposed the request because they knew it would affect ongoing projects. However, they eventually approved the release after receiving assurances from Banu that the funds would be repaid once the state received its allocation from Abuja.

"A letter was written to that effect from the office of the Commissioner for Finance, signed on his behalf, and the money was released immediately upon receiving the letter," he said.

Despite the assurances, Dasuki stated that the money was never repaid.

"According to the 2013 action plan submitted to UBEC, the funds were intended for the construction of 40 standard classroom blocks with offices, 40 VIP toilets, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centers in primary and junior secondary schools across the 16 Local Government Areas of Kwara State. However, many of these projects could not be executed because the funds had been diverted," he said.

He further testified that many contractors protested due to non-payment for completed projects.

During cross-examination by Jimoh Mumini, SAN, counsel to the first defendant, Dasuki confirmed that neither the former governor nor the finance commissioner was a member of SUBEB.

Justice Abdulghafar adjourned the matter till Thursday, March 13, 2025

Source: EFCC