Teenager bags 12 months jail term for internet fraud in Kwara

Justice Adebayo Yusuf of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin on Friday, November 11, 2022, convicted and sentenced a 19-year-old man, Marvelous Awolowo, popularly known as Bryan Evan and Sandra Kate to 12 months imprisonment over offences bordering on cybercrime.

A statement by the Head Media and Publicity of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Wilson Uwujaren, said that Marvelous, who hails from Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, was arrested based on credible intelligence on October 23, 2022 at the International Airport, Ilorin, Kwara State.

“Upon arrest, one Infinix S5 lite phone was recovered from him. The phone was analyzed and several fraudulent documents were printed from his emails.

“Checks on his profile revealed that, Marvelous had impersonated one Evans Bryan and Sandra Katty using fictitious emails to swindle unsuspecting victims. Specifically, the convict defrauded Evan Bryan of the sum of $1000 after he deceived him to believe he had instructed one Blacck to send him $14,500.

“Further findings revealed that the convict also acted as a “Picker” for his fellow internet fraudsters who he helped to receive illegally obtained funds through his bank account. It was also discovered that, between May 4, 2022 and October 23, 2022 a total sum of N13,713,400 suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities was paid to his UBA account.

Consequently, Marvelous was arraigned on two counts, to which he pleaded guilty.

Count one of the charge reads: “That you, MARVELOUS AWOLOWO sometime between May 2022 and October 2022 in Ilorin, Kwara State within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court knowingly had under your control Thirteen Million, Seven Hundred and Thirteen Thousand, Four Hundred Naira (N13,713,400) paid into your United Bank for Africa account No 2176465739 which is reasonably suspected to be unlawfully obtained and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 319(A) of the Penal Code Law and punishable under the same Section.”

Following the guilty plea, counsel to the EFCC, Rashidat Alao, reviewed the facts of the case through a witness, Kamal Yahayah, who narrated the circumstances leading to the arrest of the defendant. Kamal, who is an operative of the EFCC tendered documents, which were admitted in evidence by the court.

Rashidat, thereafter urged the court to convict the defendant based of his admittance of guilt and the evidence of the prosecution witness that was unchallenged by the defence.

Justice Yusuf said that, he had carefully considered the guilty plea by the defendant; his extra-judicial statement and the uncontroverted evidence before the court, and was convinced that there was merit in the prosecution’s case. Consequently, the judge pronounced Marvelous guilty on the two counts.

The defence, Antonia Erinfolami-Daniel in her allocutus, pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy considering the age of the convict as a teenager and one with promising future.

Thereafter, Justice Yusuf sentenced Marvelous to six months imprisonment on each of the two counts, to run concurrently with N100,000 as option of fine on each count.