Four young men, including two brothers, have been arraigned before an Iyaganku Magistrates’ Court in Ibadan over allegations of impersonation and internet-related fraud.
The defendants, identified as Ayodeji Afolabi, 21; his elder brother, Ayomide Afolabi, 23; Abdulahi Olarenwaju, 20; and Samson Abayomi, 26, were charged with falsely presenting themselves online as white women residing in the United States with the intent to defraud unsuspecting victims.
The police prosecutor, Inspector Elisha Tellang, told the court that the alleged offence was committed on January 7 at about 9:00 a.m. in the Apete area of Ibadan.
According to the prosecution, the defendants deliberately assumed false identities and used foreign telephone numbers on social media platforms, including Facebook, Gmail, Google and TikTok, to deceive members of the public.
Inspector Tellang said the action constituted an offence under Section 484 of the Criminal Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
All four defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge.
In her ruling, the presiding magistrate, Mrs Moyosore Atanda, granted each of the defendants bail in the sum of N200,000, with two sureties in like sum.
She ruled that one of the sureties for each defendant must be a blood relation bearing the same surname.
The case was adjourned until February 4 for hearing.
