The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned two
suspects before Justice Patricia Ajoku of the federal high court,
Ibadan for Advance Fee Fraud.
The suspects, Samuel Tanimowo Owolabi (aka Dr. Keilah Forgey, Jame
Romero, Romero Williams) and Ekene Kingsley Odinamba, were separately
arraigned on charges bordering on obtaining money under false pretence
and possession of fraudulent documents with the intent to defraud.
Their offences were contrary to Section 6 of the Advance Fee Fraud and
Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1
(3) of the same Act.
Owolabi, according to the thirty-count charge preferred against him,
swindled his victims of over $21,000.
Odinamba was accused of defrauding his victims of about $2,700.
The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges when read to them.
Due to their not-guilty plea, prosecution counsel Sanusi Galadanchi
prayed the court for a trial date and an order to remand them in
prison custody.
The court has fixed November 21 and 22 for the hearing of the first
and second defendants’ bail applications, as she ordered that they
should be remanded in prison custody.
The cases were also adjourned until December 10.
Similarly, a Higher National Diploma (HND) Mechanical Engineering
student of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Ojere in Ogun
State, Olalekan Oladapo Ogunremi, was on Wednesday found guilty of
criminal impersonation and sentenced to six months in prison.
The 21-year-old was shown leniency by Justice Patricia Ajoku of the
federal high court, Ibadan, who commuted the one-year punishment
proposed for his offence to six months.
The judge listened to the plea of Ogunremi’s lawyer that the student
had missed two examination sessions owing to the criminal charge filed
against him by the Ibadan zonal office of the EFCC.
Ogunremi had pleaded guilty to the one-count amended charge with which
he was arraigned on Wednesday consequent upon a plea bargain
arrangement between him and the EFCC.
The offence contravenes Section 22(2)(b) of the Cybercrime
(Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015, and punishable under Section
22 (2)(iv) of the same Act.
Following his ‘guilty’ plea, the prosecution counsel, Babatunde
Sonoiki, prayed the court to sentence Ogunremi according to the terms
contained in the plea bargain agreement he and the defence lawyer,
Tunde Lawal, jointly signed.
Though the judge reduced the jail term, she upheld other proposed
punishments contained in the agreement, including forfeiture of items
recovered during his arrest and investigation, and restitution of sums
in foreign currency to his victims.
