Uber driver jailed over $50 internet fraud

An Uber driver, Michael Tosin Lawal, has been convicted after pleading guilty to internet fraud.

Justice M. A. Odegbola of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State ordered that Lawal be remanded in prison for three months.

The defendant pleaded guilty to an amended one-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The charge read, “That you, Michael Tosin Lawal ‘M’ sometimes in the year 2020, in Ibadan Oyo State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, obtained gift cards from one Trevor, a white male by falsely representing to him that you are a white female by the name Cyndy Tyler from the United States of America, which you knew to be false.”

Following his plea, Justice Odegbola ordered the convict to restitute the sum of $50 to his victim through the EFCC and forfeit items recovered from him to the Federal Government.