The Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought charges against eleven undergraduates from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) for their alleged involvement in internet fraud. On November 6, 2023, they were arraigned before Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of the Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State.
The defendants faced various counts of charges filed against them by the EFCC, ranging from one to six charges each. The accused individuals are as follows: Perekebena Olombeni Micah, Nnekwelugo Nnaemeka, Moyosore Favour Oluwasakin, Aghwaritoma Wisdom Obaro, Daniel Olashile Maiye, Gbolahan Khalid Adesina, Yinka Temitope Jayeola, Olumuyiwa Emmanuel Adeleye, Abiola Emmanuel Oluwadare, Busari Abdulazeez Ayodeji, and Okesipe Tobiloba Paul.
Nine of the defendants faced one count each, while two of them, Micah and Obaro, were charged with six counts. For instance, one of the counts read: “Perekebena Olombeni Micah, in 2023, in Osogbo, Osun State, fraudulently impersonated an American female named ‘Pies’ through your WhatsApp account (phone number +1(414)367-9473) to deceive your victims in the United States of America, with the intent to gain an advantage for yourself, thereby committing an offense as stipulated in the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.”
Another count stated: “Aghwaritoma Wisdom Obaro, on or about November 1, 2023, in Ile-Ife, Osun State, fraudulently impersonated a white man by the name Alex Stephens from the United States of America to one Megan Johnson, using Google Chat and email address (alexsteps678@gmail.com), with the intent to gain an advantage for yourself, committing an offense according to the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.”
During their arraignment, all defendants entered a plea of “not guilty” to the charges. Consequently, the prosecution counsel, Oluwatoyin Owodunni, requested trial dates and the remand of the defendants in a Correctional Centre.
In response, defense counsels for Ayodeji, Adesina, Oluwasakin, Micah, Adeleye, and Okesipe informed the court of “motions for bail applications” filed on behalf of their clients, which have been served on the prosecution. They urged the court to grant bail to these six defendants on the most liberal terms.
Justice Ayo-Emmanuel, after considering the arguments of both sides, granted bail to Ayodeji, Adesina, Oluwasakin, Micah, Adeleye, and Okesipe. Ayodeji, Adesina, Oluwasakin, Adeleye, and Okesipe were granted bail in the amount of N2,000,000 (Two Million Naira only) each, while Micah received bail in the sum of N3,000,000 (Three Million Naira only).
The bail conditions included two sureties for each defendant, with the first surety being the defendant’s parent, and the second surety being a relative, sibling, clergy, or civil servant employed by the Osun State Government. The sureties were required to provide an affidavit of means, and their residential and office addresses, as well as their statuses, had to be verified by the court registrar.
The judge scheduled the trial to commence on November 29 and December 12, 2023, respectively. In the meantime, the defendants were remanded at the Ilesha Correctional Centre, Osun State, pending the fulfillment of their bail conditions.
These defendants were among 69 suspected internet fraudsters arrested on November 1, 2023, at Oduduwa Estate in Ile-Ife, Osun State, based on actionable intelligence regarding their alleged involvement in fraudulent internet-related activities.
