A Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo on Tuesday sentenced five persons to five years imprisonment for blackmailing and defrauding the immediate former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Timothy Owoye.
The defendants in the case, Kazeem Agbabiaka, Femi Oyebode, Babatunde Oluajo, Adebiyi Kehinde Oseni, Oyebanji Oyeniyi and Rasheed Ojonla were arraigned on a 5-count charge bothering on conspiracy, fraud, false pretence, public ridicule and cyber crime.
They defrauded the ex-speaker of the sum of N38 million and maliciously released a nude video of him while allegedly having a ‘ritual bath’ in public.
The incident happened in 2018 when the blackmailers released a 13-second nude video that quickly went viral on the internet.
In the video, Owoye, who represented Ilesa East at the State Assembly, was seen being accosted by a group of individuals.
The individuals alleged that he was involved in a ritual bath in a market square, which they claimed was meant to ensure his success in the forthcoming 2019 General elections.
While giving allocutus, the legal counsel to the convicts pleaded with the judge to tamper justice with mercy on the ground that they were first-time offenders and family men.
Delivering his judgement, Justice Emmanuel Ayoola established that the convicts swindled the ex-speaker of N38 million and also posted his nude video on the internet which caused him (Owoeye) public ridicule.
Justice Ayoola described the convicted as a web of syndicates who did not deserve to be in the society without a reform. He sentenced five of them who were found guilty and convicted to five years imprisonment each.
Agbabiaka (herbalist), Oyebode (community leader), Ojonla (community leader) and Babatunde (Prince) were convicted of conspiracy and advance-free fraud while Adebiyi was convicted of cyberstalking.
Oyeniyi was discharged and acquitted of all charges related to the case.
