Fake Spiritualist Sentenced To One Year Imprisonment

Judge Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court, which is located in the state capital of Ilorin, found 23-year-old self-described spiritualist Odeyemi Oluwaseun guilty of computer fraud and sentenced him to a year in prison on Wednesday.

The convict was charged with two counts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) Ilorin Zonal Directorate that pertained to impersonation, acquiring by false pretense, and online fraud.

Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, said in a statement on Thursday, January 16, that Oluwaseun, who is from Oyo State, allegedly defrauded his victims on the internet by posing as an American-based female spiritualist with the ability to reclaim the affection of their men.

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.”

When the charges were read to him, Oluwaseun pleaded guilty. The prosecution counsel, Sesan Ola, then reviewed the facts of the case, presented the convict’s extra-judicial statements and evidence, including the $1,000 recovered from him, and prayed the court to convict and sentence him as charged.

Justice Abdulgafar, convinced that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt, sentenced Oluwaseun to a six-month suspended jail term on each count and ordered that $1,000, an iPhone 15, and a 2008 Toyota Camry car recovered from him be forfeited to the federal government.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli