500-Level LAUTECH Student Jailed Over $104,500 Fraud

Adebowale Abiola, an undergraduate student of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, has bagged a year jail term over an alleged internet scam.

Naija News understands that the 500 level student was convicted for scamming an unsuspected white man of over $104,500.

In her ruling, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Lagos State Special Offences Court declared a year jail term on Abiola after founding him guilty of committing the crime.

Naija News understands that Abiola was arrested after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC received a report on the activities of Internet fraudsters in the Lekki area of Lagos.

It was reported that the convict had presented himself as Burton J. Smith, a United States of America resident and former military officer to defraud one Courtney Kaye of the reported sum. Abiola was arraigned on an amended one-count bordering on possession of fraudulent documents containing false pretence.

Though Abiola had pleaded guilty to the charge against him, in his plea, the prosecuting counsel, I. A. Mohammed, told the court about the plea bargain Abiola entered into with the commission and also reviewed the facts of the case.

Delivering her judgement, Justice Taiwo sentenced the suspect to one-year imprisonment with an option of N300,000 fine, adding that the N5m recovered from him be returned to the victim through the Federal Government.

The judge also ordered that a black Mercedes Benz GLK, with number plate AKD 573 GK, recovered from the convict be forfeited to the victim through the Federal Government.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, has said the fight against corruption will not fail under his tenure.

Speaking on Monday when he visited the Sokoto zonal office of the commission, Bawa noted that the anti-graft agency cannot afford to fail in the discharge of its duties, Naija News reports.