An Ibadan-based Internet fraudster, Ibrahim Tunde-Akinsola, was on Friday sentenced to 12 months in prison by a Federal High Court, sitting at Adeoyo-Ringroad in Ibadan, over a US$1,750 fraud.

Delivering judgment, Justice Patricia Ajoku held that she convicted and sentenced Tunde-Akinsola based on the evidence before her as well as the plea bargain agreement he entered into with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“This judgment is in line with the provisions of Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 that provides for a reduced sentence for anyone who enters a plea bargain agreement.

“Consequently, Tunde-Akinsola is sentenced to 12 months in prison for the crime.

“The sentence starts from the date he was first arrested and all the exhibits found in the possession of the convict are hereby forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria,” Ajoku said.

Earlier, the EFCC counsel, Ibadan zonal office, Mr Mabas Maburb, told the court that the convict was arraigned on a one-count amended charge bordering on impersonation.

Maburb added that Tunde-Akinsola committed the crime sometimes in January in Ibadan, Oyo State.

He further stated that the agency’s operatives apprehended Tunde-Akinsola after receiving a credible intelligence from concerned members of the community that Tunde-Akinsola was operating with a “deceptive” email address to take undue advantage of unsuspecting foreigners.

The prosecutor also revealed that many dubious documents of how the convict had defrauded foreigners were printed out from his email address.

Maburb further said that an i-Phone 7 and a cash of US$1,750 which formed proceeds of the crime were restituted by Tunde-Akinsola.

The EFCC counsel informed the court that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 22A of the Cyber Crime Prohibition and Prevention Act 2015. (NAN)