By Our Correspondents
The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, May 26, 2025, secured the conviction and sentence of four internet fraudsters before Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The convicts are: Arowosola Julius Oluwadamilola, Oluwasegun Ayomide, Opeyemi Shamsudeen Agboola, and Akinade Olamilekan.
They were arraigned on one-count separate charges of fraudulently impersonating foreign nationals.
One of the charges reads: “That you, AROWOSOLA JULIUS OLUWADAMILOLA, sometime in May 2025 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently impersonated one Mary Alice by holding yourself out as such to unsuspecting victims with intent to gain advantage for yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(2) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.”
They each pleaded guilty to the charges when they were read to them.
In view of their pleas, prosecution counsels, H.U. Kofarnaisa and Fanen Anum, respectively, tendered the defendants’ extrajudicial statements, devices and the vehicle recovered from Agboola through the investigating officers, Welekwe Bright Chile, Lawal Hamza, Sada Sa’id Sani and M.M Abdulrahman.
They were all admitted as exhibits by the court.
Consequently, Justice Osiagor convicted and sentenced Oluwadamilola to five years imprisonment, with an option of fine of N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) and a seven-day community service.
While Ayomide bagged three years imprisonment, with an option of fine in the sum of N300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira) and a seven-day community service, Agboola was sentenced to a fine of N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira), and his Mercedes C300 forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Similarly, Olamilekan was sentenced to three years imprisonment, with an option of fine of N300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira).
All the devices recovered from the convicts were ordered forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
All the convicts bagged their imprisonment when they were arrested for internet-related offences. They were charged to court and convicted.
Spokesman of the Commission Dele Oyewale confirmed the story.
In a related development, a court jails an Internet Fraudster in Port Harcourt
Justice E. A. Obile of the Federal High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has convicted and sentenced one Miracle Deele to jail for fraud.
He was convicted and sentenced upon his arraignment on Monday, May 26, 2025 by the Port Harcourt Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), on a three-count charge, bothering on impersonation and advance fee fraud.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Miracle Deele, sometime in 2024 at Port Harcourt, Rivers State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, had in your Tecno Spark mobile phone, documents containing false pretences with different subjects which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence Contrary to Section 6 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”
He pleaded “guilty” when the charges were read to him, following which prosecution counsel, E. Abbiyesu reviewed the facts of the case and called a witness, Abdulazeez Jafar, an officer of the EFCC through whom he tendered some incriminating documents which were admitted in evidence.
The witness while being led in evidence, told the court that Deele was arrested by the Commission sometime in April, 2025 at Eneka axis of Port Harcourt, following credible intelligence that exposed his fraudulent internet activities.
Investigations the witness said revealed that the Deele specialised in romance scam and created Facebook and Telegram accounts using the picture of a female US citizen, Jenifer Annoson to communicate with his victims, one of whom is Anthony, a male US citizen and was professing love to every man he chatted with, with the intent of gaining financial advantage for himself. The witness further disclosed that the convict volunteered his statements in writing in the presence of his lawyer at the Port Harcourt Zonal Directorate of the Commission.
In view of Deele’s guilty plea, the exhibits tendered and the testimony of the witness, the prosecution prayed the court to convict and sentence him accordingly, while the defence counsel, B. I. O Egwu prayed the court to temper justice with mercy, stating that his client has regretted his actions.
Justice Obile convicted and sentenced him to four months in Port Harcourt Correctional Centre or to pay N300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira) fine. In addition, he forfeited his Tecno Spark mobile phone to the federal government and deposed to an affidavit of good behaviour before the court, going forward.
Spokesman of the EFCC Dele Oyewale confirmed the story.
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