Crime & Court
17 Internet Fraudsters Convicted in Oyo, Ogun {Photos}
The Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured the conviction and sentencing of seventeen (17) internet fraudsters to various jail terms.
They were jailed between January 8 and 28, 2024 after being arraigned before Justice Olusola Adetujoye of the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan, and Justice A.A. Babawale of the Ogun State High Court, sitting in Abeokuta on a separate lone count charge each.
The convicts are Akinbode Abiodun, Samad Tijani Owolabi, Ademola Olabamiji Quadri, Evewiekpoamare Tivere Jackson, Adeagbo Stephen Adegbenro, Adesanya Olamilekan Dare, Yusuf Saka Olaoluwatobi, Akinbode Adedolapo Joshua, Musa Ayinde Olorunnisola and Lawal Mohammed Segun.
Others are Moses Bitrus Bugama, Odude Kehinde Ayomipo, Bashiru Quadri Adeyinka, Ochoche Silas Ochola, Nurudeen Olamilekan Quam, Afeez Adewale Jimoh and Olowookere Ademola Sobbur.
Contained in a statement by the commission’s Head, Media & Publicity, Dele Oyewale, one of the charges read: “That you Adesanya Olamilekan Dare ‘M’ on or about 24th May 2023, at Ibadan, Oyo State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently impersonated by representing yourself to be a white man by the name Daryl Huffman from United States of America to one Angie Shepard, through your Facebook account with email address: daryhuffman1960@gmail.com, and other pretences, which pretences you knew to be false, thereby committed offence of personation contrary to Section 484 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.”
They all pleaded guilty to the charges when they were read to them.
Consequently, facts of the cases were reviewed by the prosecution counsels as indicting documents, and other incriminating materials were tendered as shreds of evidence before the courts. Prosecution counsels further prayed to the courts to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.
Upon the prayers of the prosecution counsels, Justice Babawale convicted and sentenced Sobbur to one-year imprisonment without an option of fine. Also, Justice Adetujoye convicted and sentenced Olorunnisola to two months imprisonment; and Jimoh, Quam, Ochola, Adeyinka, Ayomipo, Bugama, Segun, and Olaoluwatobi to one month jail term each.
Furthermore, Joshua, Dare, Adegbenro, and Abiodun were convicted and sentenced to two weeks imprisonment each without an option of fine while Owolabi, Quadri, and Jackson bagged two weeks of community service each.
The courts also ordered that the convicts restitute their various victims, including Owolabi who is to pay the sum of N11, 749, 823.36 (Eleven Million, Seven Hundred and Forty-nine Thousand, Eight Hundred and Twenty-three Naira, Thirty-six Kobo) as restitution.
Items forfeited by the convicts to the Federal Government of Nigeria included one gold colour Lexus ES 330 with Registration number: FKG 184 HZ, one unregistered silver colour Toyota Corolla 2006 model, one black colour Honda Pilot 2004 model with registration number: LSR 783 HW and Chassis number: 2HKYF18464H598117 and one black Lexus ES 300 2002 model with registration number: APP 27 GT with chassis number: JTHBF30G020048119 among others.
All the convicts bagged their imprisonment when they were arrested by operatives of the Ibadan Zonal Command of the EFCC for internet-related activities. They were thereafter charged to court and convicted.
In a related development, the Oyo State Command of the Nigeria Police Force handed over four suspected internet fraudsters to the Ibadan Zonal Command of the EFCC on January 26, 2024.
The suspects are Abiodun Ajayi, Salako Saheed, Qudus Owolabi, and Abiodun Ridwan.
They were arrested in Soka area of Ibadan, Oyo State following actionable intelligence on suspected fraudulent internet-related activities.
Items recovered from them include one unregistered Toyota Camry, one gold colour Toyota Camry with Registration number: APP 192 CB, two laptops, and five mobile phones among others.
They would be charged in court as soon as investigations are concluded.
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested two principal suspects allegedly involved in the killing of 16 travellers in Uromi, Esan North-East Local Government Area of Edo State last week.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Friday Ituah, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, confirming that the suspects were apprehended in Uromi town following credible intelligence.
According to Ituah, operatives from various security agencies are actively hunting for other key suspects linked to the tragic incident. He further revealed that the two arrested suspects have been transferred to Abuja for further interrogation and prosecution by the relevant authorities.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, paid a condolence visit to Kano State, where he revealed that 14 suspects had already been arrested in connection with the killings and were also to be moved to Abuja for further questioning.
During his visit, Governor Okpebholo expressed deep sorrow over the incident and assured the victims’ families that justice would be served. He reiterated his administration’s commitment to ensuring that those responsible for the heinous act would be brought to book.
Also, the governor pledged that adequate compensation would be provided to the bereaved families as part of efforts to mitigate their suffering.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has rearrested Friday Audu, the alleged mastermind of a massive cryptocurrency investment fraud and romance scam, just moments after he was granted bail by a Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.
In a dramatic turn of events, EFCC operatives intercepted Audu as he stepped out of the court premises on Thursday. The anti-graft officers swiftly bundled him into a waiting white van and whisked him away, while his co-defendants were led off by correctional officers.
Audu, alongside two Chinese nationals, Huang Haoyu and An Hongxu, as well as their company, Genting International Ltd, is facing a 12-count charge bordering on cybercrime. The trio was arraigned before Justice Daniel Osiagor on Monday, March 17, and returned to court on March 20 for their bail hearing.
Despite being granted bail, Audu’s troubles deepened as EFCC officials moved in swiftly. The court had granted him bail in the sum of N50 million, with two sureties—one being a serving director in Nigeria, and the other a Lagos-based property owner willing to surrender title documents to the court. Until these conditions are met, Audu was to remain in correctional custody.
However, his alleged accomplice, Huang Haoyu, was not as fortunate. The court denied his bail application, ruling that his residence status in Nigeria was unclear and that he posed a flight risk. The third defendant, An Hongxu, did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody.
Justice Osiagor adjourned the trial to May 2, 2025.
How It All Started
The EFCC’s case against Audu and his co-defendants stems from a December 2024 sting operation that led to the arrest of 193 foreigners and several Nigerians linked to a sophisticated cyber-fraud network.
According to the prosecution, Audu allegedly spearheaded the recruitment of young Nigerians into the syndicate, which engaged in cyber fraud, cryptocurrency scams, and illicit financial dealings. The EFCC further alleged that the group conspired with one Dualiang Pan (still at large) to access computer systems designed to destabilize Nigeria’s economic and social structure.
The defendants were accused of using young Nigerians to impersonate foreign nationals in online scams, defrauding unsuspecting victims of millions of dollars. Investigators also linked them to a staggering ₦3.4 billion fraud, with proceeds traced to the Union Bank account of Genting International Ltd.
Other fraudulent transactions flagged in the case include:
- The illegal retention of $1.2 million in a crypto wallet by one Chukwuemeka Okeke.
- A similar retention of $1.3 million by Alhassan Garba and Ifesinachi Jacobs.
- Suspicious transfers of ₦106 million and ₦913 million to an account controlled by Dualiang Pan.
- Unofficial foreign exchange dealings worth over ₦2 billion, allegedly conducted outside the Central Bank of Nigeria’s approved system.
The EFCC maintained that these activities violated multiple provisions of the Cybercrime (Prohibition) Act 2015, the Money Laundering Act 2021, and the Foreign Exchange Monitoring Act 2004.
Battle for Bail
During Thursday’s proceedings, EFCC prosecutor Bilikisu Buhari-Bala opposed bail for the defendants, arguing that they were flight risks and key players in an extensive cybercrime syndicate. She pressed for an accelerated trial instead.
Defense counsels, however, pleaded for leniency. Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Emeka Okpoko, representing the first defendant, urged the court to grant his client bail on “liberal terms.” Similarly, Clement Onwuenwunor (SAN), who represented Audu, pushed for his client’s release under favorable conditions.
Despite the court’s decision to grant Audu bail, his freedom was short-lived as EFCC officials quickly stepped in to rearrest him, a move that hints at fresh charges or an ongoing investigation.
With the case now set for trial on May 2, all eyes remain on the EFCC and the fate of the alleged crypto fraud syndicate.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested the Accountant General of Bauchi State, Sirajo Jaja, over an alleged ₦70 billion fraud.
Jaja was apprehended in Abuja on Wednesday, 19 March 2025, alongside Aliyu Abubakar, an operator of Jasfad Resources Enterprise—an unlicensed bureau de change (BDC)—and Sunusi Ibrahim Sambo, a Point of Sale (PoS) operator.
Their arrests form part of an ongoing EFCC investigation into allegations of money laundering, diversion of public funds, and misappropriation involving the staggering sum.
The Commission is also probing the Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, in connection with the matter.
According to the EFCC, preliminary findings indicate that a total of ₦59 billion was withdrawn in cash through various bank accounts managed by the Accountant General on behalf of the state government. The funds were allegedly transferred to Abubakar and Sambo, who then made cash payments to political party agents and associates of the governor.
Notably, Abubakar, the BDC operator, had previously absconded while on bail but has now been rearrested.
EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, confirmed the arrests, stating that investigations are ongoing to unravel the full extent of the financial misconduct.
