Wednesday, August 20, 2025 - Four more suspected internet fraudsters arrested during a sting operation by agents of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at a hotel within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) complex in Abeokuta, Ogun State, were yesterday convicted by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.
The anti-graft body arrested 93 suspects at a hotel within
the precincts of the library. Seven of them had been convicted for
cybercrime-related offences.
In two separate judgments yesterday, Dehinde Dipeolu, the
presiding judge, convicted and sentenced Olugbodi Adefolarin Pamilerin, Adenuga
Ezekiel Oluwaseyi, Yusuf Ramon and Ganiyu Ibrahim for internet fraud.
In the first ruling, Pamilerin and Oluwaseyi pleaded guilty
to charges of impersonation, identity fraud and retention of proceeds of crime.
Pamilerin admitted to fraudulently posing as “Emily Eddins”
on Telegram and was found to have retained $160 obtained through deceit.
Franklin Ofoma, the EFCC prosecutor, presented evidence,
including Pamilerin’s iPhone 14 and a N150, 000 bank draft as restitution.
The judge sentenced him to one month’s imprisonment or an
option of a N500, 000 fine and ordered the forfeiture of the iPhone to the
Federal Government.
The charge sheet reads: “That you, Olugbodi Adefolarin
Pamilerin (Male) sometime in 2025, within the Lagos Judicial Division of the
Federal High Court of Nigeria, with intent to defraud, retained in your control
the total sum of $160 which were proceeds of criminal conduct, deceitfully
obtained from unsuspecting members of the public and you thereby committed an
offence contrary to and punishable under Section 17 of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment etc) Act No: 4 of 2004,” the charge
against Pamilerin read.
Oluwaseyi also pleaded guilty to impersonating a woman on
Gmail accounts and retaining $1,000 from fraud.
The evidence tendered against him includes two iPhones
(iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 6S), a N1 million bank draft and forensic
investigation reports.
Oluwaseyi was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment or an
option of a N2 million fine, with the confiscation of his devices and the bank
draft.
“That you, Adenuga Ezekiel Oluwaseyi (Male), sometime in
2025, within the Lagos Judicial Division of the Federal High Court of Nigeria,
fraudulently held out yourself as a lady in your gmail
accounts, synderlaureen909@gmail.com and antonyeagle879@gmail.com to
unsuspecting members of the public, with intent to gain advantage for yourself
and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section
22(2)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition etc.) Act, Laws of the Federation of
Nigeria 2015,” the charge against him reads.
“That you, Adenuga Ezekiel Oluwaseyi (Male), sometime in
2025, within the Lagos Judicial Division of the Federal High Court of Nigeria,
with intent to defraud, retained in your control the total sum of $1000USD
which were proceeds of criminal conduct, deceitfully obtained from unsuspecting
members of the public, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and
punishable under Section 17 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(Establishment etc) Act No. 4 of 2004.”
In the other judgment, Justice Dipeolu convicted and
sentenced Ramon and Ibrahim for impersonation, identity and internet fraud.
They both pleaded “guilty” to the charges preferred against
them.
S.M. Yabo, the prosecution counsel, called two investigative
officers, Chukwu Christian and Izuchukwu Collins, to review the facts of the
cases.
Yabo, thereafter, sought to tender, in evidence, the
extrajudicial statements of the defendants; Ramon’s iPhone XX and iPhone XX
Max; Ibrahim’s iPhone 13; the N200,000 bank draft in restitution made by
Ibrahim; as well as the forensic investigation documents printed from their
mobile devices.
They were all admitted as exhibits by the court.
The judge convicted and sentenced Ramon to one month
imprisonment from the day of his arrest, with the option of a fine of N200,000,
and ordered that the mobile devices recovered from him be forfeited to the
federal government.
The judge also convicted and sentenced Ibrahim, who
confessed to having benefited from the $150 from his criminal activities, to
one month’s imprisonment, with the option of a fine of N200,000.
He ordered that the iPhone 13 recovered from him as well as
N200, 000 in bank drafts be forfeited to the Federal Government.
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