The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) Ilorin Zonal office has secured the conviction of an internet fraudster, and FBI suspect.
This was disclosed In a statement signed by Mr. Dele Oyewale, it’s Head of Media and Publicity
The statement noted that the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja convicted and sentenced Akinyemi Festus to two years imprisonment for internet fraud presided by Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo.
The convict was prosecuted by the Ilorin Zonal office of EFCC on two counts of internet fraud.
The convict is also said to be on the wanted list of the Federal Bureau of Investigations(FBI) of the United States Department of Justice.
The FBI, in a petition dated July 10, 2019, had appealed to the Ilorin Zonal office of the commission to ensure the arrest and prosecution of Festus for his roles in a multi-million naira international scam.
One of the charges read, “That you Abiona Akinyemi Festus (Ella Jones), sometime between January 2011 and May 2016 at Lagos, by means of fraudulent trick used the email address ellajones05@yahoo.com to bypass online security;
“Obtained the sum of N5, 950, 000 from retirement accounts, held by an insurance company for public workers in the United States of America.”
Ilorin Zonal office Head of Advance Fee Fraud, EFCC, Olamide Sadiq, reviewed the facts of the case, which included that the defendant was arrested based on a petition from the FBI linking him to the offense.
Justice Taiwo convicted him as charged and sentenced him to one-year imprisonment on each of the two counts with N300, 000 option of fine on each of the counts.
The judge also ordered him to return the sums of money he cornered to the FBI.