EFCC Arraign 11 OAU Students in Court on Internet Fraud Charges

The Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought eleven students from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) before Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of the Federal High Court, Osogbo, Osun State, on Monday, November 6, 2023. The students face allegations of involvement in internet fraud.

The defendants, including Perekebena Olombeni Micah, Nnekwelugo Nnaemeka, and others, were arraigned on various counts ranging from one to six charges, as preferred against them by the EFCC. The charges accuse them of fraudulent impersonation, with each defendant facing different counts.

Upon their arraignment, all eleven defendants pleaded “not guilty” to the charges. Prosecution counsel, Oluwatoyin Owodunni, requested trial dates and the remand of the defendants at a Correctional Centre.

In response, defense counsels for six of the defendants informed the court of filed bail applications and urged the court to admit their clients to bail in the most liberal terms. Justice Ayo-Emmanuel granted bail to Ayodeji, Adesina, Oluwasakin, Micah, Adeleye, and Okesipe, with bail amounts ranging from Two Million Naira to Three Million Naira.

Bail conditions include two sureties for each defendant, with the first being their parent and the second a relative, sibling, clergy, or civil servant with the Osun State Government. The sureties must provide verified addresses and statuses, and the defendants were remanded at the Ilesha Correctional Centre pending bail conditions.

These students were part of the sixty-nine suspected internet fraudsters arrested on November 1, 2023, at Oduduwa Estate in Ile-Ife, Osun State, based on actionable intelligence regarding their alleged involvement in fraudulent internet-related activities. The court adjourned the matters to November 29 and December 12, 2023, for trial commencement.