On Monday, January 31, 2022, the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, achieved the conviction of Abdulkazeem Ridwan, a 25-year-old phone repairer, for cybercrime and possession of fake money.
Ridwan, of Surulere Local Government Area, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, was charged on two counts by the anti-graft agency before Justice Adenike Akinpelu of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.
Count 2 of the charge is as follows:
“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 (Two hundred and thirty-two thousand naira only) 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 offense contrary to and punishable under Section 319 (a) of the Penal Code’’
The defendant entered a guilty plea to the accusation.
Following his plea, Andrew Akoja, counsel to the EFCC, examined the facts of the case with one Ali Mohammed, an operative of the Commission. The witness described the events that led to the defendant’s arrest to the court. Documents and papers incriminating the accused were offered and accepted into evidence.
Following that, Akoja encouraged the court to evaluate the defendant’s admission of guilt, the evidence of the solitary prosecution witness, and the exhibits produced in order to condemn the defendant as accused.
In her decision, Justice Akinpelu found Ridwan guilty on both charges.
The defendant was sentenced to six months in jail on each of the two offenses, with the option of a fine of N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) on each count. The court also ordered the defendant to lose his iPhone 11 and the value of $80 (Eighty Dollars) from the offense to the Federal Government.
