The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for romance scam.
The corps member allegedly committed the crime in 2019 by pretending to be a woman to defraud unspecting individuals, but was finally apprehended in 2020.
Nyscinfo.com gathered that the two suspects, Sam Abiola (Corps member), and one Adebiyi Sodiq were arraigned separately before Justice Adenike Akinpelu at the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.
Abiola, who is serving in Kogi State was arraigned on a one count charge, while four counts were placed against Sodiq.
The two suspects pleaded guilty to the charges.
The charge against Abiola reads as follows
“That you, Sam Abiola (Missie Bonie), sometime between July 2019 and September 2019, in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did cheat by impersonation when you pretended to be one Missie Bonie, a white female with Gmail account, missiebo271@gmail.com, and fraudulently deceived one Rick to send $550 to you through gift card after you made him believe you were in love with him, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the same Penal Code.”
Meanwhile, Sodiq charges read as;
“That you, Adebiyi Sodiq (alias: Maria Monica), sometime in August 2020, in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did cheat by impersonation via your email address, terrellwhite856@gmail.com
to one Manny, by portraying yourself as a white female, named Maria, and induced him to send you his Cash App, a representation you knew to be false, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 324 of the Penal Code and punishable under the same section of the law.”
After Abiola pleaded guilty, the prosecuting counsel, Akinsola, invited to the witness box an operative of the EFCC, Ali Mohammed, to review the case.
Mohammed told how the defendant was arrested based on an anonymous petition received by the commission on the activities of fraudsters in the Offa area of Kwara State.
“Documents showing fraudulent messages printed out of the email of the defendant were tendered and admitted in evidence,” the statement read.
Also, the prosecution counsel for the EFCC for Sodiq’s case, Sesan Ola, called on Eze Uchenna, an operative of the agency, to review the facts of the case.
Uchenna also told how the defendant involved in the alleged offence and tendered documents which were admitted in evidence.
However, Justice Akinpelu, fixed February 11, 2021 for judgement.
How I wish those who pretend to trade on forex and took my hard earned N170k are arraign like this