By Dele Moses, Ilorin
A 19-year old Student of the University of Ilorin, Ajayi Joshua Oluwatobi, has been sentenced to a nine-month imprisonment for defrauding three students seeking for accommodation in the university.
He was charged to the court by the Ilorin zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which received and investigated a complaint of the fraud about him from authorities of the university.
The charge against him reads: “That you, Ajayi Joshua Oluwatobiloba, in the month of November 2019, in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did cheat by deceiving one Anjorin Oluwabukolami Eniola, a University of Ilorin student when you fraudulently induced her to pay #45,000.00 (Forty Five Thousand Naira) into the GTbank account 0452652140 of one Hassan Adefemi Daniel for hostel accommodation, a representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 320 of the Penal Code and punishable under section 322 of the same Law”
Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin before whom the accused was tried convicted him of the offence and subsequently sentenced him to prison.
The judge also ordered the convict to pay the sum N105,000 fine so as to serve as deterrent to others.
He said, “the defendant was brought before this honourable Court on a three-count charge. The charges were read to him and he pleaded guilty, this Court accepts the evidence of the prosecution, the one way testimonies of the Sole Prosecution witness, the unchallenged and uncontradicted testimonies”
“This honourable Court is of the view that the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, the Court hereby finds you, Ajayi Joshua Oluwatobi, guilty of Counts 1, 2 and 3. You are hereby convicted for the offence “
In his allocutos, the counsel to the accused, J.A.O Ayinde urged the Presiding Judge to temper Justice with mercy and give his client an option of fine rather than custodial sentence.
Responding, prosecution counsel, Andrew Akoja said the issue of sentencing was within the discretion of the court and urged the court to use its discretion in sentencing the convict.
After hearing the parties, Justice Oyinloye sentenced Oluwatobi to three months imprisonment on count 1, 2 and 3.
According to him, the sentence is to run concurrently while the convict is to also pay a fine of N105,000.