Four students of one polytechnic in Kwara State, among them, a 25-year-old final-year student named Olaitan Abdulwahab Damilare, have been sentenced to jail for internet fraud.
The students were convicted by the Kwara State High Court, sitting in Ilorin, on July 14, 2025.
The Convicts; Olaitan Abdulwahab Damilare was sentenced to six months imprisonment with hard labour and ordered to forfeit $2,000, an iPhone XR, and a Samsung phone to the Federal Government.
He was found guilty of dishonestly inducing a white man to send gift cards worth $2,100 by pretending to be a white lady named “Fav” who was in a ‘romantic relationship’ with him.
Also, Maruf Quadri Kolawole was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment with hard labour and ordered to forfeit his iPhone 13 Pro Max and $950 to the Federal Government. He was convicted of cheating by impersonation when he pretended to be “Frank Matt” on Facebook and induced Philip Solomon to send 950 Australian dollars to him.
In similar situation, Habeeb Abiodun Jimoh was sentenced to six months imprisonment with hard labour and ordered to forfeit his iPhone 14 Pro Max, one HP laptop, and $365 to the Federal Government.
Mubarak Moruf was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment or a fine of N400,000 and ordered to forfeit his iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 7, and $300 to the Federal Government.
The students were prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ilorin Zonal Directorate, on separate charges of cheating by impersonation and obtaining under false pretences, offences that violate Sections 321 and 324 of the Penal Code.
They pleaded guilty to their respective charges, and the prosecution counsel presented evidence, including extrajudicial statements, exhibits recovered from them, and various amounts of money, which they brought as restitution.
Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar handed down the sentences for Olaitan, Maruf, and Habeeb, while Justice Sulaiman Akanbi delivered the judgment for Mubarak.
The judges found the defendants guilty based on the unchallenged evidences presented by the prosecution.