31st August, 2020
By Nimot Adetola Sulaimon
A 400L student of UNILORIN, Akinsanya Olamide Ridwan, has been sentenced to three months of community service for committing romance scam.
Ridwan was arrested and thereafter arraigned on a one-count charge bordering on internet fraud and other fraud-related offences by the EFCC.
Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of the Kwara State High Court presided over the case and made the judgement.
The charge read: “That you, Akinsanya Ridwan (a.k.a Alex James) sometime in March 2020 or thereabout at Ilorin, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court attempted to commit an offence of cheating by impersonation by pretending and representing yourself to be a white man called Alex James to an unsuspected 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 charge.
The judge ordered the defendant, Ridwan, to get a notice of clearance from the Registrar of the University of Ilorin and the Kwara State Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service. He added that failure to do so would attract him six months imprisonment.
Ridwan will also pay a fine of N50,000, in addition, to clearing the drainage behind a filling station, near Tipper Garage, Tanke, for three months commencing from September 2, 2020.