From Taiye Joseph, Ilorin
A Federal High Court in Ilorin, has handed down a two-year prison sentence to a 23-year-old serial internet fraudster, Adebisi Emmanuel Olalekan.
This is a significant victory for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in its renewed war against cybercrime in Nigeria.
Justice Abimbola Awogboro, delivered the judgment recently following Olalekan’s guilty plea to two counts of cybercrime, including impersonation and cheating.
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The convict, a native of Omuo-Ekiti in Ekiti State, was prosecuted by the Ilorin Zonal Command of the EFCC.
As part of the judgment, the court also ordered the forfeiture of N124.4 million discovered in his Wema Bank account, a white Mercedes Benz ML350 worth N30 million, and an iPhone 14 Pro Max used in the commission of the crimes.
Olalekan was found to have impersonated several foreign nationals using fake Gmail and TextPlus accounts. Through these false identities, he deceived and defrauded unsuspecting victims, including one Allisa Motazedi, from whom he obtained $100,000, and another named Brittany Boggess, who lost $1,000.
EFCC counsel, Sesan Ola, told the court that the agency acted on a report from the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), which flagged suspicious online activity traced to Olalekan.
An EFCC operative, Paul Aniebonam, who testified in court, detailed how the convict crafted fraudulent online profiles to lure victims.
He confirmed that the luxury SUV was purchased with proceeds from the crime in October 2024, and over N124 million in Olalekan’s account was linked to similar scams.
“Investigations showed that he used the identity of Joshua Compbell Novak to defraud his victims. The money and assets traced to him were proceeds of various internet fraud activities,” Aniebonam said.
Justice Awogboro, sentenced Olalekan to 12 months on each of the two counts, with the terms to run consecutively, amounting to a total of 24 months imprisonment without an option of fine.
The court also approved the final forfeiture of all assets recovered to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
