Phone Repairer Bags 12 months Jail Term For Cybercrime

Phone Repairer Bags 12 months Jail Term For Cybercrime

Abdulkazeem Ridwan, a 25-year-old phone repairer was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment on Monday for cybercrime offences.

The convict hails from Surulere Local Government Area, Ogbomoso in Oyo State.

He was arraigned before Justice Adenike Akinpelu of the Kwara State high court in Ilorin by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ilorin Zonal Command on a ten count charge.

On the two counts, Ridwan who pleaded guilty, was said to have between March 2021 and August 2021 at Ilorin within the judicial division of the Kwara State high court did knowingly have under his control, the gross sum of N232,000 reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained and paid into his 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.

Sequel to his guilty plea, Counsel to the anti-graft agency, Andrew Akoja, reviewed the facts of the case through one Ali Mohammed, an operative of the commission.

Ali told the court the circumstances that led to the arrest of the defendant and tendered incriminating documents and materials recovered from the defendant as evidence which were admitted by the court.

The Prosecution Counsel of the agency then urged the court to consider the admission of guilt by the defendant, testimony of the sole prosecution witness and exhibits tendered to convict the defendant as charged.

In her judgement, Justice Adenike Akinpelu found the defendant guilty on the two counts and sentenced him to six months in jail on each of the two counts to run concurrently.

The trial judge also imposed a N100,000 fine on each of the two counts, while his iPhone and the sum of 80 US dollars which he benefitted from the crime was forfeited to the Federal government.