Wednesday, March, 18 2026 - A Kaduna State High Court has sentenced three men to five years in prison each for their roles in separate online fraud schemes.
Justice A. Isiaka, presiding over the court in Kaduna,
delivered the verdict against Aliyu Hassan, Samuel Olamide, and Solomon Joseph
Christian after they were found guilty of impersonation and obtaining money
under false pretences.
According to a statement by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the commission
brought the convicts before the court after arresting them in the Agwa and
Kudende areas of Kaduna, following intelligence linking them to a series of
online scams.
During the proceedings, the court heard how the trio used
various social media platforms to target their victims. Each faced a one-count
charge specific to their crimes.
The charge against Hassan read: “That you, Aliyu Hassan
(a.k.a. Ottaviani Loverules Giovanni), on or about the 9th of February, 2026,
in Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, impersonated one
Ottaviani Loverules Giovanni (a citizen of Brazil) via the Facebook platform
and, in such assumed character, you defrauded one Kerry of the sum of
N90,000.00 (Ninety Thousand Naira only), and you thereby committed an offence
contrary to Section 142(1) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017, and punishable
under the same law.”
Similarly, Olamide’s charge stated: “That you, Samuel
Olamide (a.k.a. Johnny), on or about the 9th of February, 2026, in Kaduna,
within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, impersonated one Johnny (a
citizen of the United States of America) via the TikTok platform and, in such
assumed character, you defrauded one Jackie Sanders (an American), and you
thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 142(1) of the Kaduna State
Penal Code Law, 2017, and punishable under the same law.”
Christian faced a charge that read: “That you, Solomon
Joseph Christian (a.k.a. Jenort), sometime in February 2026, in Kaduna, within
the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, impersonated one Jenort via Facebook
(a social media platform) and, in that assumed character, benefited the sum of
$150, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 142(1) of the
Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017, and punishable under the same law.”
When the charges were read, all three men pleaded guilty,
admitting their involvement in the scams. Following the pleas, EFCC prosecution
counsel, M.U. Gadaka, asked the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
Justice Isiaka sentenced each convict to five years’
imprisonment, with an option of paying a N300,000 fine.
In addition, the court ordered the forfeiture of items and
funds linked to their crimes. Hassan surrendered N90,000 and a Samsung Galaxy
Note 8 mobile phone (IMEI No. SM-N9500), identified as proceeds of his crime.
Olamide handed over a Samsung Galaxy S21 mobile phone (IMEI No.
35198153052814), considered a tool used in his offence, while Christian
forfeited an iPhone 14 Pro (IMEI No. 35771267218661) and $150, representing the
proceeds of his fraud. All items were handed over to the federal government.
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