8th February, 2021
Opashola Abdullahi, a lecturer of the Kwara State College of Health Technology, Offa, has pleaded guilty to a charge of romance scam.
Opashola pleaded guilty today, when his trial by the EFCC commenced before Justice Adenike Akinpelu of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin.
The accused was among the 32 internet fraud suspects arrested in Offa on 14 September 2020.
His offence contravenes Section 95 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the same Law.
The charge reads “That you, Opashola Abdullahi, (alias Devin Snow), sometime in the month of August 2020 in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did attempt to cheat by personation, by portraying yourself as a female named Devine Snow via your email address [email protected] to one Eugene Myvett in order to induce him to send you $200 USD, a representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 95 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the same Law”
Following his plea, counsel to EFCC, Andrew Akoja, led Paul Kera, an operative of EFCC in evidence to review the facts of the case.
Kera narrated how investigation on a petition received by the Commission on the activities of internet fraudsters operating in Offa area of Kwara State led to the arrest of the defendant.
“Our findings revealed that the defendant created an email address which he was using to defraud unsuspecting victims.
“During a search executed in his house, we recovered an Infinix Nokia phone which he used as instrumentality of the crime.
‘The defendant was taken to our Office, where he volunteered his statement”, Kera told the court.
Documents including copies of his statements, two computer attestation forms, an Infinix phone recovered from the defendant as well as the fraudulent messages printed out of his email account were tendered and admitted in evidence.
Thereafter, Akoja urged the court to convict the defendant based on his plea and evidence placed before it.
Justice Akinpelu, while discharging the witness from the witness box fixed 23 February for judgment.
“The defendant is to remain EFCC custody pending judgment”, the judge added