A self-proclaimed spiritualist, Odeyemi Hammed Oluwaseun, has been sentenced to one year imprisonment by the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin. The judgment, delivered by Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar, followed Oluwaseun’s conviction on charges of internet fraud and impersonation.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ilorin Zonal Directorate, prosecuted the 23-year-old suspect on a two-count charge involving obtaining by false pretenses. In a statement issued on Thursday, the EFCCās Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, revealed that Oluwaseun, an Oyo State native, posed online as an American female spiritualist offering services to help women regain lost romantic relationships.
One of the charges read: “That you, Odeyemi Hammed Oluwaseun, sometime in December 2023, in Ilorin, dishonestly induced one Bose to send $3,200 worth of gift cards under the pretense of using spiritual powers to bring back her estranged husband. You impersonated ‘Lord Hill,’ a female spiritualist using the email address hillor674@gmail.com, thereby committing an offense contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324.”
Another charge stated that between August and September 2023, Oluwaseun deceived a victim, Schneider Alina, into sending $4,500 worth of gift cards, pretending to be a spiritualist with the Instagram handle _Visions_by_Tendo_12. He claimed he could help her reconcile with her ex-boyfriend through diabolical means.
Oluwaseun pleaded guilty to both charges. During the trial, prosecution counsel Sesan Ola presented the facts of the case, including the convict’s statements and evidence such as $1,000 recovered from him. The prosecution urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
Justice Abdulgafar, satisfied with the evidence provided, sentenced Oluwaseun to six months of suspended jail time on each count. The court also ordered the forfeiture of $1,000, an iPhone 15, and a 2008 Toyota Camry recovered from him to the federal government.
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