The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Ibadan, Oyo state has arraigned twenty-four students of Olabisi Onabanjo University and the National Open University of Nigeria, who were arrested for alleged involvement in various cyber crimes.
The anti-graft agency arraigned the defendants on separate charges bordering on obtaining money by false pretences, impersonation and possession of fraudulent documents.
One of the counts against one of the accused persons reads: “That you, Rabiu Daniel (a.K.a. Agent Howard Hall) on 23rd June 2018 at Abeokuta within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud, knowingly had in your possession documents containing false pretences to wit: an e-mail address, howardhall900@gmail.com wherein you represented yourself as; Agent Howard Hall, working for the Government/Facebook Compensation Bonus and Poverty Eradication, and other false pretences, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 6, and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006”.
Those arraigned before Justice Ibrahim Watilat of the Federal High Court, sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State were:
- Agboola Taiwo
- Tade Ademiluyi
- Rabiu Daniel
- Sokoya Oluwaseyi
- Fredrick Shaibu
- Oshikoya Gbolahan
- Adegbola Kazeem Aina
- Ademosun Opeyemi
- Tosin Awobona
- Babarinde Jacob.
Fourteen others who were arraigned before Justice M. S. Abubakar of the Federal High Court 1 sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State are:
- Adeleke Oluwamayowa
- Banjo Femi
- Towolawi Olanrewaju
- Tijani Babatunde
- Sarafadeen Abibullahi
- Adebowale Abimbola
- Osunkoya Korede
- Mufutau Yusuf Akorede
- Salisu Ajibola
- Olamikan Oluwasiji
- Oduwole Gbenga
- Damilare Adelaja
- Bakare Azeez Adebola
- Edward Ayodeji.
The defendants all pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them.