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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Sokoto Zonal office on Tuesday the conviction of one Emmanuel Adedeji Oluwatosin, whose name was on the wanted list of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, (FBI).
Crimefacts.news reports that Oluwatosin was prosecuted before Justice M.
S. Sifawa of the Sokoto State High court sitting in Sokoto, one count charge
bordering on Internet fraud to the tune of One Hundred and Fifty Thousand
United State Dollars ($150,000.00).
The charge reads, “that you Adedeji Emmanuel Oluwatosin, sometime between
January and July 2019 at Sokoto within the jurisdiction of the Sokoto State
High Court did steal the sum of $150, 000.00 (One Hundred and fifty Thousand
Dollars) through wire funds transfer from multiple foreign victims by fraudulent
intrusion into their retirement accounts domiciled in United States of America
via internet and transferred the said sums into fraudulent business accounts
created by you and you withdrew the said funds through ATM Cards and cashier
cheques and you thereby committed the offence of theft contrary to Section 274
of the Sokoto State Penal Code Law 2019 and punishable under Section 275 of the
same Law”.
Upon arraignment,
Adedeji pleaded guilty to the charge.
In view of the
defendant’s plea, the prosecuting counsel, Musa. Mela Gwani asked the court to
convict and sentence the defendant. However, the defence counsel, Shamsu A.
Dauda, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy as his client was a
first time offender who has become remorseful. He also told the court that the
convict is ready to make restitutions to the victims by forfeiting his home in
Kaduna and two Mercedes Benz cars (Models C550e and C450) to the victims.
Justice Sifawa,
thereafter convicted and sentenced the defendant to two (2) years imprisonment
with option of Two Million Naira (N2, 000,000.00) fine.
He ordered the
convict to restitute the victims by forfeiting the proceeds of the said crime:
a residential apartment situated at No17/19 Seamans Street, Maigero, Kaduna
State and two Mercedes Benz Models C550e and C450 respectively through Asset
Forfeiture Unit of the EFCC for disposal and return of the proceeds to the
victims of the offence through the US Legal Attaché in Nigeria.
According to the
statement posted on the Commission’s website, the convict’s journey to prison
started on the 29th of August, 2019 when he was arrested in Kaduna at Unguwan
Maigero in a luxury apartment, following intelligence by US Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) on his involvement in internet scams.
Items recovered from
the residence included two cars (Mercedes Benz C550e, Mercedes Benz C450), an
IPhone, laptops, a modem and SIM cards. Ren Sparevoll
