Court jailed twin brothers for fraud in Kwara

A court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State has handed a jail sentence to twin brothers, Taiye and Kehinde Adebayo after being convicted over offenses bordering on internet fraud.

The twin brothers who were prosecuted by the Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission were arraigned on a seven-count charge to which they pleaded guilty.

The charge against Taiye read in part;

“That you, Taiye Adebayo, sometime in January, 2020, at Ilorin, within the judicial division of the Kwara State High Court, did cheat one Gary Brenton who you met on TWOO dating site, of the sum of $490 (Four Hundred and Ninety Dollars) received vide gift cards when you pretended to be female and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 322 of the same Penal Code.”

For Kehinde, the charge read in part;

 “That you, Kehinde Adebayo, sometime in January, 2020 at Ilorin, within the judicial division of the Kwara State High Court, did cheat one Gary Brenton who you met on TWOO dating site, of the sum of $410 (Four Hundred and Ten Dollars) received vide gift cards when you pretended to be female and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 322 of the same Penal Code.”

Following the ‘guilty plea’ entered by the defendants, counsel to the EFCC Andrew Akoja led Paul Kera and Emezie Dominic in evidence to review the facts of the case against the twins. Documents were tendered and admitted in evidence following which the court adjourned for judgment.

Delivering judgment on the two cases today March 18, Justice Akinpelu found the twins guilty of the charges and sentenced them to six months imprisonment on each of the counts against them, which is to run concurrently.

The judge also gave the twin-brothers an option of a fine of N50,000 (Fifty Thousand Naira) on each of the counts, while ordering that the laptops and phones used by the convicts to commit the crime be forfeited to the Federal Government. The judge said the sentences would serve as a deterrent to others.