The Ilorin Zonal Office of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, February 1, 2021 arraigned a serving corps member, Sam Abiola and one Adebiyi Sodiq on separate charges bordering on love scam before Justice Adenike Akinpelu of a Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin.
Abiola, who is currently serving in Kogi State was arraigned on one count charge, while four counts were preferred against Sodiq, to which they pleaded guilty.
The charge against Abiola reads:
“That you, Sam Abiola ( Missie Bonie) sometime between July, 2019 and September, 2019 in Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did cheat by personation when you pretended to be one Missie Bonie a white female with gmail account missiebo271@gmail.com, and fraudulently deceived one Rick with phone number +19287060683, to send $550 (Five Hundred and Fifty Dollars) to you through gift card after you made him believe you were in love with him and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the same Penal Code”
For Sodiq, count three of the charge reads:
“That you, Adebiyi Sodiq, (Alias: Maria Monica sometime in the month of August 2020, in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did cheat by personation via your email address terrellwhite856@gmail.com to one Manny via his phone number by portraying yourself as a white female named Maria and induced him to send you his Cash App, a representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 324 of the Penal Code and punishable under the same Section of the Law”
Upon Abiola’s guilty plea, the prosecuting counsel, O. B Akinsola, invited to the witness box one Ali Mohammed, an operative of the EFCC to review the facts of the case.
Mohammed narrated how the defendant was arrested based on the anonymous petition received by the Commission on the activities of fraudsters around Offa area of Kwara State. Documents showing fraudulent messages printed out of the email of defendant tendered and admitted in evidence.
In a similar fashion, Sesan Ola, while prosecuting for EFCC on Sodiq’s case called on Eze Uchenna, an operative of the Commission to review the facts of the case. Uchenna also narrated defendant’s involvement in the alleged offence and tendered documents which were admitted in evidence.
Justice Akinpelu, while discharging the witnesses fixed February 11, for judgement.
It would be recalled that the Ilorin Zonal Office of the EFCC on September 14, 2020 raided Offa in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State where about 33 suspected fraudsters were arrested for various offences bordering on internet scam.