Court sentences graduating student to 4 months imprisonment in Ogun

A Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta has sentenced a Computer Science graduating student, of a higher institution in Ogun (name withheld), Soyombo Ridwan, to four months imprisonment having been found guilty of fraud.

Soyombo was charged to court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a one-count amended charge filed by the anti-graft agency, Ibadan Zonal Office.

He was convicted by Justice Ibrahim Watilat after he had earlier settled for a plea bargain with EFCC before the initial charges were reduced to one.

The convict was accused of sending pornographic and indecent pictures with Google Hang Out Account with email address andreanorde19@gmail.com through a computer system and network to one James R. Dunford at Awa-Ijebu area of the State.

He was said to have committed an offence contrary to Section 24 (1)(a) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention Etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 24(1) of same Act.

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The Prosecution counsel, Mabas Mabur, had prayed the court to convict Soyombo accordingly since he admitted committing the offense and pleaded guilty.

The judge ordered that Soyombo should forfeit and restitute a sum of USD$700 through the Federal Government to James R. Dunford and Cara Melton, his victims.

He was also ordered to forfeit Apple MacBook, Air Laptop, One IPhone X mobile phone and one Wi-Fi Router to the Nigerian government. These items were believed to be proceeds of the crime recovered from him at the point of his arrest.

Justice Watilat said the four months jail term takes effect from February 13, 2019, when he was arrested.