The Federal High Court in Osogbo has handed down five-year prison sentences to an herbalist and five others for sharing a nude video of the former speaker of the Osun Assembly, Timothy Owoye, on the internet after defrauding him of N38 million.
In 2018, a 13-second video of Timothy Owoeye went viral, showing him undressed and bathing in a market area. It was alleged that he was performing a ritual to avert death when he was accosted by community members in the Osunjela area of Osun State.
The convicts, namely Kazeem Agbabiaka, Femi Oyebode, Abdul-Rasheed Ojonla, Babatunde Oluajo, Adebiyi Kehinde, Oyebanji Oyeniyi, and Ismaila Azeez, were initially arraigned before a Magistrate court and later transferred to the Federal High Court on October 19, 2018.
During the trial, the prosecution presented 57 exhibits, including bank statements, a flash drive, a compact disc, a wooden box, $100, and a gun, among others. Six witnesses, including Timothy Owoeye, an Investigating Police Officer, and four bankers, testified against the convicts.
Justice Emmanuel Ayoola delivered the judgment on Tuesday, convicting six of them on charges related to conspiracy, advance-fee fraud, and cyberstalking. Agbabiaka (the herbalist), Oyebode (community leader), Ojonla (community leader), and Babatunde (Prince) were found guilty of conspiracy and advance-fee fraud, while Adebiyi was convicted of cyberstalking.
However, Justice Ayoola discharged Oyeniyi from the conspiracy charge. He established that the convicts had swindled the ex-speaker of N38 million and posted his nude video on the internet, leading to his ridicule.
During the allocutus, the legal counsel for the convicts requested the judge to show mercy, emphasizing that they were first-time offenders and family men.
In the end, Justice Ayoola sentenced all the convicts to five years in prison each.
