Metro

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

Published

2 months ago

July 16, 2025

Editor

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

Six Killed, Nine Injured In Fatal Crash On Lekki–Epe Expressway

Published

13 hours ago

September 1, 2025

Editor

Six people were confirmed dead, and nine others sustained injuries in a road accident at Ibeju Bus Stop along the Lekki–Epe Expressway in Lagos State.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority said the crash occurred on Monday when a blue Volvo FL6 truck loaded with wooden planks rammed into a white commercial bus with registration number AKD 336 YD.

The fatalities included two men, three women, and a child. Four other occupants of the bus escaped unhurt.

LASTMA’s Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment, Adebayo Taofiq, said officials, with support from other emergency responders, swiftly rescued the survivors.

“The nine injured survivors were swiftly extricated by LASTMA officials with support from other emergency responders and immediately conveyed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Epe and Hammond Hospital for urgent medical attention.”

He added that LASTMA worked in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps to evacuate victims and clear the accident scene.

LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, condoled with the bereaved families and cautioned motorists against reckless driving, particularly overspeeding. He urged drivers to remain vigilant, obey traffic laws, and avoid distractions, especially during the Ember Months, a period known for frequent road crashes.

He added that the remains of the deceased had been deposited at the FMC morgue in Epe, awaiting formal identification by their families.

Taofiq said the four unhurt survivors received immediate attention from the LASTMA Rescue Unit, working with other agencies.

Metro

NSCDC Arrests 84-year-old, Teenager For Vandalism

Published

13 hours ago

September 1, 2025

Editor

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Gombe State Command, has paraded an 84-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy arrested for alleged vandalism of transmission power cables in the state.

Addressing journalists at a press briefing on Monday, the Public Relations Officer of the Command, Superintendent of Corps Buhari Saad, who represented the State Commandant, Jibril Idris, said the duo were apprehended with several meters of vandalised aluminium cables.

According to him, the suspects, identified as Salisu Muhammad, 84, of Anguwa Idi, Gombe, a scrap marketer, and Muhammad Tahiru Babayo, 14, of Anguwa Dawaki, Gombe, a welder and fabricator, were caught with the items at Salisu’s shop located in Anguwa Uku.

“The two were involved in the act of vandalism and were caught with critical national assets, transmission power cables.

“They will be charged to court for vandalism and unlawful possession of vandalised items,” the commandant stated.

The NSCDC boss noted that the arrest was part of renewed efforts by the command to protect critical national infrastructure from criminals who target public utilities for selfish gains.

He warned vandals to desist from the illegal act or leave the state entirely, stressing that the command will continue to track and apprehend perpetrators of such crimes.

“We want to strongly warn vandals to steer clear of Gombe State. We will get them wherever they are.

“Security agencies are determined, but we also urge citizens to report suspicious activities because security personnel are not spirits and cannot be everywhere,” he added.

Metro

Father, Son, 72-year-old Arrested For Defiling Minors

Published

13 hours ago

September 1, 2025

Editor

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps on Monday paraded a father and son over the rape of a 13-year-old girl.

The father, Ibrahim Haruna, a 48-year-old and his 15-year-old son, Abdusalam Ibrahim, were identified as suspects.

Parading the suspects at the command’s headquarters in Gombe, the Public Relations Officer, SC Buhari Saad, decried the spate of kidnapping in the state.

He said, “The second category of people that we have, we have three suspects that are involved in rape, gross indecency and defilement.

“They are, one, Ibrahim Haruna, aged 48, of Jekarifari. He is a tailor by occupation. We also have Abdusalam Ibrahim, aged 15, of Jekadefari.

“The two people were involved in some acts of rape, gross indecency and defilement.

“It’s now a worrisome pattern; the case of rape is taking place in the state. The father has been committing this act of rape at his shop, while the son usually takes his turns at their residence. They took advantage of the young girl who is 13 years old.

“She happens to be their neighbour who has some mental illness. So they took advantage of her and have been raping her serially.”

Also paraded was 72-year-old Balarabe Suleiman, from Yelanguruza, who was alleged to have lured a 13-year-old girl into his car and raped her serially.

“He’s been giving her the sum of N200 for every act. And in this instance, it is the lady, the young girl, who became tired of his escapade and informed her parents. The case is still under investigation”, he added.