Baraye Bamidele Saoban, a 25-year-old Kwara state footballer, of Ibrafix Football Club, Ilorin, and one Adaraloye Ezekiel, have been convicted for love scam offences by a Kwara state high court in Ilorin.
Baraye, hails from Ilorin, while Ezekiel is a native of Osi, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The duo were prosecuted on separate charges by the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
They pleaded guilty to the charges in court, following which, counsel to the anti-graft agency, Rashidat Alao, led witnesses in evidence to review the facts of the cases.
The witnesses, who narrated how actionable Intelligence led to the arrest of Baraye and Adaraloye, informed the court that the duo specialised in ‘yahoo-yahoo’ business.
Among items recovered from the defendants at the point of arrest, were iPhones, incriminating messages printed from their devices and manager’s cheque raised as restitution, which were tendered and admitted by the court.
Alao, urged the court to convict the defendants since there was no contrary evidence to disprove the prosecution’s claim against them.
In his judgement, Justice Sikiru Oyinloye, the court was convinced that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, based on the plea of guilt, entered by the defendants and the uncontroverted evidence tendered against them.
He sentenced Baraye to one year jail term, with an option of N150,000, fine, and ordered the forfeiture of his iPhone recovered from him at the point of arrest, as well as the draft of N26,000 raised as restitution to his victims to the Federal government.
Justice Oyinloye, also sentenced Adaraloye to six months jail term with a N250,000 fine option and ordered that the manager’s cheque of N600,000 raised as restitution to his victims.
The trial judge further ordered the forfeiture of his iPhone used in perpetrating the crime to the Federal government, according to Wilson Uwujaren, Head, Media, and Publicity, of the commission.
