MOSHOOD ABIOLA POLYTECHNIC STUDENT JAILED SIX MONTHS OVER CYBER CRIME
The judge succumb to his lawyer’s passionate plea who informed the court that his client had missed two examination sessions owing to the criminal charge filed against him by the Ibadan zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Penpushing further reports that, 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 Commission.
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.
Penpushing also reports that, following his ‘guilty’ plea, the prosecution counsel Babatunde Sonoiki had prayed the court to sentenced Ogunremi according to the terms contained in the plea bargain agreement he and the defence lawyer, Tunde Lawal, jointly signed.
The judge, though 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.
Penpushing further reports that in a related development, the Commission’s Ibadan office also arraigned two other suspects before Justice Ajoku.
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.
Penpushing reports that, Owolabi, according to the 30-count charge preferred against him, swindled his victims of over $21, 000, while Odinamba’s four-count charge alleged him of defrauding his victims to the tune of about $2,700.
The accused pleaded not-guilty to the charges when read to them and 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 are remanded in prison custody pending the dates and the cases were also adjourned to December 10, 2019 for trial.
