UNILORIN student to clear drainage for three months over romance scam

Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has convicted and sentenced Akinsanya Olamide Ridwan, a 400-level undergraduate of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), to a three-month community service for committing romance scam.

The service requires him to clear the drainage at Bekind Filling Station, near Tipper Garage, Tanke, up to the gate of the university for three months commencing from tomorrow, September 2.

Ridwan got the jail term yesterday after being arraigned on a one one-count charge bordering on internet fraud and other fraud-related offences by the Ilorin zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The charge read: “That you, Akinsanya Riwan (a.k.a Alex James) sometime in March 2020 at Ilorin, attempted to commit an offence of cheating by pretending and representing yourself to be a white man called Alex James to an unsuspecting white woman, Stewart Sonia, on a dating site called Hangout, as it is contained in your Gmail account: alexjames789123@gmail.com and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 95 of the Penal Code Laws of Northern Nigeria.”

The defendant pleaded guilty to the one-count charge.While reviewing the facts of the case, Mahmoud Ibrahim Hamman, an Assistant Detective Superintendent with the EFCC, told the court that the defendant was arrested on March 16, at Pipeline, behind Princess Hotel, Ilorin, based on intelligence.

“A search was conducted in his house and one Galaxy phone and laptop were recovered. We analysed them and discovered an email box where several fraudulent messages were printed in his presence.”

Delivering judgment, Justice Oyinloye convicted and sentenced the defendant based on exhibits tendered and the proof of evidence brought before the court.The court also ordered the convict to pay a fine of N50,000 in addition to the community service.