The Federal High Court, sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State and presided over by Justice Abimbola Awogboro has sentenced Musa Buba to 300 hours of community service at the rate of five hours of work per day for operating bureau de change without a valid licence. The sentence is without an option of a fine.
Similarly, Justice Awogboro sentenced one Akinwale Olamilekan from Owena Ijesha in Oriade Local Government Area of Osun State to 300 hours of community service, also at the rate of five hours of work daily for committing internet fraud. The sentence does not include an option for a fine.
Both convicts were arraigned on March 20, 2025, by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on separate one-count charges bordering on illegal operation of BDC services and fraudulent impersonation, respectively.
A statement by the Head, Media & Publicity of EFCC, Dele Oyewale, said the charge against Buba reads: “That you, Musa Buba, sometime in July 2024 at Chikanda Market, Yashikira District, Baruten Local Government Area, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did carry on the business of another financial institution, to wit: Bureau de Change Business, without a valid license issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria, contrary to Section 57 (1) & (2) of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act, 2020, and punishable under Section 57(5)(b) of the same Act.”
The charge against Olamilekan reads: “That you, Akinwale Olamilekan (Alias: Mary Williams), sometime in November 2024, within the judicial division of the Federal High Court, did fraudulently impersonate one Mary Williams via your iMessage account to obtain the sum of $950 (Nine Hundred and Fifty US Dollars) from one Mark Durham, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 22 (2)(b)(ii) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act and punishable under Section 22 (2)(b)(iv) of the same Act.”
They pleaded “guilty” to their respective charge.
Convinced by the facts of the case and the uncontroverted evidence, presented by prosecution counsel, Andrew Akoja, Justice Awogboro convicted and sentenced them accordingly.
In addition to his sentence, Buba forfeited to the federal government the sum of 409,500 CFA and N1,973,200 (One Million, Nine Hundred and Seventy-Three Thousand, Two Hundred Naira Only), recovered from him at the point of arrest, while Akinwale restituted his victim with the sum of $450 (Four Hundred and Fifty US Dollars), being proceeds of his crime. He also forfeited the iPhone 12 Pro Max, being the instrument of his crime to the federal government.
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