An undergraduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Mr Olasaidi Dare, got sentenced to five years imprisonment by the Federal High Court, yesterday after he was found guilty of attempting to obtain money under false pretence via the Internet.
Dare was apprehended by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, which traced him to a Cyber Cafe belonging to a former member of the National Assembly, Senator Olabode Ola, in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
According to the anti-graft agency, the convicted undergraduate, who was said to belong to a 419-syndicate, was arrested on March 31, 2008, at the said Cyber Cafe which is located inside a hotel, after he attempted to dupe an operative who posed as a wealthy foreigner.
He was arrested alongside the manager of the hotel who was said to have been convicted by the same court ab-initio.
Handing the 5-years jail term to Dare yesterday, trial Justice Lawal Shuaibu said his imprisonment should take effect from the date he was arrested.
Meanwhile, the erstwhile lawmaker, Senator Ola, is also standing trial before an Ekiti High Court over alleged illegal use of his premises for internet scam, otherwise known as “yahoo-yahoo”, as well as his failure to register his Cyber Cafe with all the regulatory agencies, including the EFCC.
The agency told the trial court that it had in an operation code-named “Cyberstorm-1”, raided illegal cyber cafes across the nation, which were believed to have accorded safe haven to internet fraudsters.
It said the operation which took place in March 2008, culminated in several arrests, saying most of the syndicates were caught in shoddy cyber cafes where they operated.
SHAME! No justice in d world meen. Someone screws with a country resources steals billions worth of dollars n goes scot free, another comits cyber crime and gets 5 years. Let these punishments be metted out fairly, den we take efcc seriously.
ReplyDeleteits not EFCC, its the judicial system, that pampers the big criminals and punish the little ones. steal N32 billion and get 5months imprisonment but steal a car radio and get a capital punishment (death by hanging). this happens only in Nigeria!!!
ReplyDeletemay God deliver us (the poor masses)
Crime is Crime. It is this sort of rationalisation on crime that has brought Nigeria where it is today.Those who think that they are free after committing crime will one they face the realities and suffer from their iniquities.
ReplyDeleteNigerian eye, what has his university's picture got to do with his crime?? Guess there's another agenda in your minds..
ReplyDeleteI think the picture of the accused should be displayed not that of the university, cos u're painting a wrong picture in the minds of the public over the image and the reputation of that university which happens to be the ALMA MATA of other responsible individuals in the society. Nigerian eye shld take note!
ReplyDeleteEFCC YOU PEOPLE SHOULD LEAVE ALL THOSE GUY YOU SHOULD GO AND ARREST THOSE STEAL BILLIONS OF NARIA ITS THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT THAT COST ALLOT OF IT WHEN PERSON GRADUATE WITHOUT A JOB EFCC DOES KNOW ANYTHING NIGERIAN POLICE MEN GOD SEE U
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