By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – A 29-year-old ex-convict, Joshua Ajayi Oluwatobi, has been sentenced to a fresh jail term for impersonating the Dean of Student Affairs, University of Ilorin and others to defraud unsuspecting students seeking to pay school fees and hostel accommodation.
Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, handed down the sentence on Monday, November 29, 2021.
This followed Oluwatobi’s arraignment by the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 on a four-count charge bordering on fraud, attempt to defraud and impersonation to which he pleaded guilty.
A statement issued by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, on Tuesday, November 30, 2021, disclosed that Oluwatobi, had sometime in June 2020, been convicted by Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of the Kwara State High Court for a similar offence.
It added: “After spending time at Mandala Correctional Centre, the convict went back to crime, and was again arrested by operatives of the EFCC and brought before the court.
“Following the plea of guilt entered by the defendant, prosecuting counsel, Andrew Akoja, presented a witness, one Musa Muhammad Sani, an operative of the EFCC, through whom he reviewed the facts of the case and presented documents to establish the culpability of the defendant in the crime.
“Akoja urged the court to consider the uncontroverted evidence of the prosecution before it, the admittance of guilt by the defendant and convict him as charged.”
The EFCC Spokesman continued by addi g that while delivering judgment, Justice Abdulgafar said the material evidence placed before the court has shown that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
“The judge pronounced Joshua guilty of the four counts and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment on each count, to run concurrently. The court also ordered the convict to restitute his victims,” he revealed.