Phone repairer bags 12 months Imprisonment for Cybercrime in Ilorin
By Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
A 25-year-old phone repairer, Abdulkazeem Ridwan, has been convicted for offences bordering on cybercrime and possession of fraudulent funds.
Ridwan, who hailed from Surulere Local Government Area, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, was arraigned by the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a two-count charge before Justice Adenike Akinpelu of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin.
Count 2 of the charge stated: “That you, Abdulkazeem Ridwan, sometime between March 2021 and August 2021 at Ilorin within the Judicial Division of the Kwara State High Court, did knowingly had under your control, the gross sum of N232,000 which is reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained and paid into your United Bank for Africa account number 2181380452 with name Ridwan Randy Abdulkazeem and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 319 (a) of the Penal Code.”
The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge, and following his plea, Counsel to the EFCC, Andrew Akoja, reviewed the facts of the case through one Ali Mohammed, an operative of the Commission. The witness told the court the circumstances that led to the arrest of the defendant. Incriminating documents and materials recovered from the defendant were tendered and admitted in evidence.
Akoja, therefore, urged the court to consider the admission of guilt by the defendant, testimony of the sole prosecution witness as well as the exhibits tendered to convict the defendant as charged.
Justice Akinpelu in her judgment found Ridwan guilty on the two counts and sentenced the him to six months imprisonment on each of the two counts, which would run concurrently with an option of fine of N100,000 on each count. The court also ordered the convict to forfeit the iphone 11 and the sum of $80 which he benefited from the crime to the Federal Government.