Ibadan Court sentences Crime Alert Security Network boss to 63 years in prison

A man, Olaniyan Gbenga Amos, popularly known as Crime Alert, who was charged with multiple counts of investment fraud, was on Monday convicted and sentenced to a total of 63 years’ imprisonment by Justice Olusola Adetujoye of the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan.

He was convicted alongside his firm, Detorrid Heritage Investment Limited.

Amos and his company were prosecuted on a 30-count charge by the Ibadan Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), bordering on obtaining money by false pretences—an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.

Count 21 of the charge read: “That you, Olaniyan Gbenga Amos, and Detorrid Heritage Investment Limited, on or about 18th June 2020, at Ibadan, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of ₦995,000 (Nine Hundred and Ninety-Five Thousand Naira) only from Bada Titilope, when you falsely represented to him that the money was meant for registration and investment with Crime Alert Security Network, with a promise of 30 percent return on investment in six weeks (30 working days), which representations you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence of obtaining money under false pretences contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.”

Another charge read: “That you, Olaniyan Gbenga Amos, and Detorrid Heritage Investment Limited, on or about 29th January 2020, at Ibadan, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of ₦920,000 (Nine Hundred and Twenty Thousand Naira) only from Onifade Isaac Olawale, when you falsely represented to him that the money was meant for registration and investment with Crime Alert Security Network, with a promise of 30 percent return on investment in six weeks (30 working days), which representations you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence of obtaining money under false pretences contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.”

It will be recalled that the defendant had pleaded not guilty when the charges were first read to him.

This prompted EFCC counsel, Sanusi Galadanchi, to open the case on 17th February 2022. Eight witnesses were called, and several exhibits, marked “Exhibits A to H”, were tendered. The prosecution closed its case on 24th January 2023.

At the close of the prosecution’s case, the defendant filed a “no case submission”, which was overruled by the court, ordering him to enter his defence.

Subsequently, the defendant opened and closed his case on 17th October 2024, with the first defendant testifying for himself and on behalf of the second defendant as a sole witness.

After the presentation of the defence, the court adopted the final written addresses of both parties and reserved judgement until 28th April.

At the resumed hearing on Monday, Justice Adetujoye convicted and sentenced Amos to seven years’ imprisonment on each of counts 6, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, and 24, but discharged and acquitted him on counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7–15, 20, and 25–30.

Furthermore, the court ordered that the sentences should run concurrently and that the convict must make restitution to the victims.

It is worth noting that Amos had previously been convicted and sentenced to 75 years’ imprisonment by Justice Bayo Taiwo of the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan, for a similar offence on 14th December 2023.

The convict is also facing two additional ongoing trials before Federal High Courts in Ibadan, Oyo State.

His latest journey to the correctional centre began when he was arrested and arraigned by the EFCC before Justice Olusola Adetujoye on 14th December 2021.

Amos was reported to have swindled several individuals under the guise of investment schemes, resulting in losses amounting to over ₦1 billion.

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