Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of the Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State, has handed down sentences to five individuals charged with cyber-stalking and fraud.
The judgement on Wednesday saw some of the accused bag as long as 5 years imprisonment.
The individuals were charged for defrauding former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Timothy Owoeye, of N38 million.
Background
The convicts, identified as Kazeem Agbabiaka, Rasheed Ojonla, Babatunde Oluajo, Adebiyi Kehinde, Femi Oseni, and Oyebanji Oyeniyi, were arraigned in court on October 19, 2018, facing charges of conspiracy, advance fee fraud, and cyber-stalking.
In 2018, a 13-second nude video of Owoeye became widely circulated on the Internet.
The video depicted Owoeye being confronted by individuals who accused him of engaging in a ritual in their community.
Subsequently, the Osun State Police Command arrested those featured in the video.
They were alleged to have used the clip to extort approximately N38 million from Owoeye before releasing the video on the Internet.
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Court’s decision
In delivering the judgment, Justice Ayo-Emmanuel characterized the actions of the convicts as that of a web syndicate, causing hardship to their victims and warranting no leniency.
Consequently, he found Agbabiaka, Oyeniyi, Ojonla, and Oluajo guilty of conspiracy and advance fee fraud, sentencing them to five years in prison.
The judge, however, discharged and acquitted Ismaila Azeez on the charge of cyberstalking.
Meanwhile, Femi Oseni was found guilty of the same charge and sentenced to five years in prison.
