Five men have been sentenced for cyber-stalking and defrauding former Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Timothy Owoeye, of N38 million. The case stems from a 13-second nude video of Owoeye that went viral on the Internet in 2018.
In the video, Owoeye was confronted by individuals who accused him of coming to their community to perform a ritual. Those in the video were arrested and alleged to have used the clip to obtain N38 million from Owoeye before releasing it on the Internet.
The convicts, Kazeem Agbabiaka, Rasheed Ojonla, Babatunde Oluajo, Adebiyi Kehinde, Femi Oseni, and Oyebanji Oyeniyi, were arraigned on charges including conspiracy, advance fee fraud, and cyber-stalking.
Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of the Federal High Court in Osogbo sentenced Agbabiaka, Oluajo, Ojonla, and Oyeniyi to five years in prison for conspiracy and advance fee fraud. Ismaila Azeez was acquitted of cyberstalking, while Oseni was found guilty of the same charge and also sentenced to five years in prison.
The judge emphasized that the convicts operated like a web syndicate, causing hardship to their victims and deserving no leniency. This case underscores the legal consequences of cyber-stalking and fraud in Nigeria.