ILORIN: Eleven convicted internet fraudsters have been sentenced to various jail terms by Justices Mahmud Abdulgafar and Abimbola Awogboro of the Kwara State High Court and the Federal High Court in Ilorin, respectively.
The convictions were secured by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), following a string of successful prosecutions related to cybercrime, impersonation, and obtaining money under false pretenses.
The convicts are:Mathew Stephen Yaba, Bamidele Samuel Stephen, Ayomide Favour Olajide, Isah Kadir, Abdulrasaq Jubril, Samuel Peter Juwon, Omolaiye Stephen Benefit, Kayode Emmanuel Opeyemi, Abdulrahim Lasisi, Ugwuadu Ikechukwu Michael, Moshood Abduljawad
While ten of the defendants were tried before Justice Awogboro, Jubril was arraigned before Justice Abdulgafar. All the accused pleaded guilty to their respective charges.
Prosecution counsels Aliyu Adebayo, Andrew Akoja, and Omolade Ajibola presented evidence including extra-judicial statements, items recovered during arrest, and financial records linking the convicts to proceeds of cybercrime. The court admitted these as exhibits.
One of the cases involved Matthew Stephen Yaba, who retained N7.38 million in his Kuda Bank account, proceeds traced to criminal activities between 2022 and 2025. He was sentenced to nine months in prison without the option of fine.
Justice Awogboro also ordered the forfeiture of his iPhone 13 and N200,000 to the federal government.
Samuel Stephen Ayomide, under the alias “CPN Goat” on Telegram, was found guilty of defrauding one Faith Jackson of $922 via Bitcoin by misrepresenting his ability to manipulate credit scores.
He received a nine-month jail term and forfeited $535 and his iPhone 16 to the government.
Other sentences include:
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Bamidele Favour Olajide: 6 months imprisonment without fine; forfeiture of iPhone X, Samsung A05, and $50.
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Isah Kadir: 300 hours of community service; forfeiture of Infinix Hot 10 Light.
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Samuel Peter Juwon: 12 months imprisonment without fine; forfeiture of iPhone 6, iPhone XR, iPhone 13, HP laptop, and $500.
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Omolaiye Stephen Benefit: 9 months in prison; forfeiture of phones and N1 million.
The sentences reflect EFCC’s continued clampdown on cybercriminals and underscore the agency’s commitment to eradicating internet-related crimes in the North-Central region.
The court also ordered that all confiscated gadgets and funds, deemed to be tools and proceeds of crime, be forfeited to the federal government.
The EFCC reiterated its warning to youths against involvement in internet fraud and other forms of financial crime, promising to intensify investigations and prosecutions across the country.
