A 23-year-old man, Odeyemi Oluwaseun, was sentenced to one year in prison by the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin for internet fraud. Oluwaseun, from Oyo State, pretended to be a female spiritualist based in America. He claimed to have special powers to help women win back their men, deceiving many victims online.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecuted him on charges of internet fraud and impersonation. After he was caught, Oluwaseun admitted to the crimes and pleaded guilty. The court heard how he tricked people into paying him for his false services.
Count one of the charges read, “That you, Odeyemi Hammed Oluwaseun, sometime in December 2023 in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly induced one Bose to send $3,200 (Three thousand, two hundred dollars) worth of gift cards to you, with the impression that the same would be used to diabolically influence her ex-husband to return and marry her, while you pretended and represented yourself to be one Lord Hill, a female spiritualist with email account ‘hillor674@gmail.com,’ and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the same Penal Code.”
Count two read, “That you, Odeyemi Hammed Oluwaseun, between August 2023 to September 2023 in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly induced one Schneider Alina to send $4,500 (Four thousand, five hundred dollar) worth of gift cards to you, with the impression that the same would be used to diabolically control her ex-boyfriend to return and marry her, while you represented yourself to be a female spiritualist with Instagram account _Visions_by_Tendo_12 and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the same Penal Code.”
Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar sentenced him to a six-month suspended jail term for each of the two charges. The court also ordered him to forfeit the $1,000 he had obtained from his victims, along with an iPhone 15 and a 2008 Toyota Camry car. These items were seized from him by the EFCC.
This case serves as a reminder of the growing problem of online fraud and how careful people must be when interacting with others on the internet. Fraudsters like Oluwaseun continue to exploit vulnerable individuals, using deceitful methods to gain money and trust.
