Metro

Final-year Kwara Student, Three Others Jailed For Internet Fraud

Published

1 month ago

July 16, 2025

A 25-year-old final-year student of a polytechnic, Olaitan Abdulwahab and three others were on Monday sentenced to various jail terms by Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar for various offences bordering on Internet fraud.

The four students were dragged to the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ilorin Zonal Directorate, on Monday, July 14, 2025, and secured the conviction of a final-year student and three others for offences bordering on Internet fraud.

A statement by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, on Tuesday, listed Olaitan Abdulwahab Damilare, a 25-year-old Higher National Diploma student of Quantity Surveying in a prominent polytechnic in Kwara State, as being sentenced to six months imprisonment by Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin.

“He was convicted alongside Maruf Quadri Kolawole, Habeeb Abiodun Jimoh, and Mubarak Moruf. While Olaitan, Maruf, and Habeeb were sentenced by Justice Abdulgafar, Mubarak’s conviction was handed down by Justice Sulaiman Akanbi of another division of the Kwara State High Court.

The convicts were prosecuted on separate charges of cheating by personation and obtaining under false pretences, offences that violate Sections 321 and 324 of the Penal Code.

For instance, the charge against Olaitan reads:

“That you, OLAITAN ABDULWAHAB DAMILARE (a.k.a fav)., sometime in January, 2024 or thereabout at Ilorin, Kwara State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court dishonestly induced one Michael, a white man to send you gift cards worth the sum of $2,100 when you knowingly pretended and presented yourself to be Fav, a white lady who is in a romantic relationship with him and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 and punishable under Section 324 of the Penal Code Laws of Northern Nigeria.”

Similarly, the charge against Maruf reads:

“That you, MARUF QUADRI KOLAWOLE, sometime in February 2025, in Ilorin, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, did cheat by personation when you pretended to be one Frank Matt via Facebook, and in that guise, induced Philip Solomon to send 950 Australian dollars to you, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 324 of the same Law.”

The defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges.

“Upon their pleas, the prosecution counsel, Aliyu Adebayo and Mustapha Kaigama, reviewed the facts of the cases through witnesses who are operatives of the commission.

They tendered the extrajudicial statements of the defendants, exhibits recovered from them at the point of arrest and various amounts of money, which they brought as restitution and were admitted in evidence.

“Following the unchallenged evidence, the judges found the defendants guilty and handed down sentences accordingly,” he stated.

In his judgment, Justice Abdulgafar sentenced Olaitan to six months imprisonment at the Nigerian Correctional Service in Ilorin and ordered that the sum of $2000, which he benefited from the proceeds of his unlawful activities, one iPhone XR and one Samsung phone be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The judge passed six months’ imprisonment on Maruf and ordered the forfeiture of his iPhone 13 Pro Max and $950 to the Federal Government.

Habeeb was also sentenced to six months imprisonment, with a forfeiture order on his iPhone 14 Pro Max, one HP laptop, and $365.

In a separate ruling, Justice Akanbi handed down one year imprisonment on Mubarak or a fine of N400,000 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira Only) and ordered the final forfeiture of his iphone 15 promax, iphone 7 and the sum of $300.

Metro

Police Arrest Ex-Soldier, Four Others Over Armed Robbery, Kidnapping In Anambra

Published

5 hours ago

August 28, 2025

Editor

The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of five suspected members of a notorious armed robbery and kidnapping syndicate, including a confessed deserter of the Nigerian Army, in Awka, the state capital.

According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the operation was carried out on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in Awkuzu.

Ikenga said the operation was carried out after the Command received intelligence on the abduction of a farmer at Isiagu, Awka.

The victim was reportedly released after an undisclosed amount of ransom was paid.

The police spokesperson said that, acting on credible intelligence, police operatives stormed the gang’s hideout at Notoko, Awka, leading to the arrest of the confessed deserter soldier and four other suspects.

Ikenga identified the suspects as 38-year-old Dominic Oraz, a confessed deserter of the Nigerian Army; 30-year-old Michael Nwobodo; 29-year-old Eze Friday; 23-year-old Uche Okolo, and 29-year-old Chinedu Gilbert.

“Exhibits recovered from the suspects include six automatic pump-action guns, 63 rounds of live cartridges, one microscope, five machetes, one military cap, two police teargas canisters, handcuffs, a robber’s rocket launcher, criminal charms, three Motorola walkie-talkies, one jack knife, one power bank and cash sum of N26,000,” Ikenga stated.

He said that during interrogation, Oraz admitted abandoning the military in November 2024.

Ikenga noted that investigations are ongoing, particularly regarding the deserter soldier, in collaboration with military authorities, to guide further police action and prosecution of all suspects.

He said the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, commended the operatives for the operation and urged residents of the state to remain vigilant and to continue to report suspicious activities to the Police for prompt action.

The commissioner also assured Ndi Anambra of the Command’s unwavering commitment to combating violent crimes.

Metro

Police Arrest Ex-Soldier, Four Others Over Armed Robbery, Kidnapping In Anambra

Published

6 hours ago

August 28, 2025

Editor

Ikenga said the operation was carried out after the Command received intelligence on the abduction of a farmer at Isiagu, Awka.

The victim was reportedly released after an undisclosed amount of ransom was paid.

He said that during interrogation, Oraz admitted abandoning the military in November 2024.

Ikenga noted that investigations are ongoing, particularly regarding the deserter soldier, in collaboration with military authorities, to guide further police action and prosecution of all suspects.

The commissioner also assured Ndi Anambra of the Command’s unwavering commitment to combating violent crimes.

Metro

Enugu Vigilantes Beat Young Man To Death Over Alleged Stealing Of Woman’s Clothes

Published

6 hours ago

August 28, 2025

Editor

Members of the Neighbourhood Watch in Amagu Iwollo Oghe community, Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State, have allegedly beaten a young man, Mr. Nosike Madueke, popularly known as Wojuwo, to death over a false theft allegation.

Community sources told SaharaReporters that the vigilante group was led by the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the community, Mr. Chukwuebuka Hillary Ngwueche, also known as Osuofia.

According to one of the sources, the incident occurred on Monday, August 25, 2025, when the local security men attacked Madueke with “dangerous weapons” after he was accused of stealing a box of clothes belonging to Mrs. Nneka Nwankwo.

The source explained that Nwankwo had earlier hired Madueke and his co-workers to repair or dig her septic tank and soakaway, but later raised an alarm claiming her box of clothes had gone missing.

“Instead of handing Madueke over to the appropriate authority, especially the police, they decided to jointly and severally take the laws into their respective hands by arresting Madueke, dragging him to his house for a search, bringing out his clothes, and burning all the clothes,” the source said.

“They tied Madueke on both his hands and legs and started profusely, taking turns by using offensive weapons such as guns, machetes, and irons, to beat him up till he died.”

“This happened in public at Iwollo Oghe Square. How can a trained CSO and his men kill a whole human being on a mere allegation by a woman of stealing her cloth, which was later found,” the source said.

“The young boy was from Imeziolo, Ezeagu LGA of Enugu State.”

According to another source, this marks the third time residents of Iwollo Oghe, either directly or through its purported security outfits, have been linked to the killing of people from the deceased’s community.

“Sometime in 1987, they shot Hyacinth Adinde with a gun and asked the people of Madueke community to do their worst.

“Also, years later, they killed Engr. Christopher Aniagbaoso, and yet they asked the people of the community to do their worst.

“The people of Iwollo Oghe are in the habit of killing the people of Imeziolo on mere suspicious grounds,” the source alleged.

“We call on the Enugu State command to do justice to this case as information reaching us revealed that the men are on the run after killing the young boy,” the source added.

A video obtained by SaharaReporters showed the deceased being beaten with sticks by men believed to be members of the Neighbourhood Watch, who were seen parading him along a community road.

Moments later in the footage, his lifeless body appeared on the ground, surrounded by residents, some of whom lamented, “See how they killed somebody’s only son for nothing.”

According to a source, the case has since been reported to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of the Enugu State Police Command.

However, repeated attempts by SaharaReporters to obtain the reaction of the Police Command were unsuccessful.

Calls to the mobile phone of the Command’s spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, went unanswered, and a WhatsApp message sent to him also received no response as of the time of filing this report.