Olusegun Ariyo
A Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin in Kwara state has sentenced a 23-year-old serial internet fraudster, Adebisi Emmanuel Olalekan, to 24 months imprisonment without the option of fine for offences bordering on cybercrime, including impersonation and cheating.
Justice Abimbola Awogboro handed down the sentence on Wednesday after Olalekan pleaded guilty to a two-count charge brought against him by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to a statement by Dele Oyewale, Head of Media and Publicity at the EFCC, the case was initiated following a report from the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), which alerted the anti-graft agency to Olalekan’s cybercriminal activities.
Olalekan, a native of Omuo-Ekiti in Ekiti East Local Government Area of Ekiti State, was found to have impersonated foreign nationals, including one “Joshua Campbell Novak,” using fake Gmail and TextPlus accounts between August and December 2024. Through these fraudulent identities, he swindled multiple victims, including Allisa Motazedi and Brittany Boggess, of $100,000 and $1,000 respectively.
One of the charges read: “That you, Adebisi Emmanuel Olalekan, between August 2024 and December 2024 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently impersonated one Joshua Campbell Novak via your Gmail account and TextPlus number with the intent to obtain a total sum of $100,000 from Allisa Motazedi, which you did obtain, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 22(2)(ii) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22(2)(b)(IV) of the same Act.”
Following Olalekan’s guilty plea, EFCC counsel, Sesan Ola, led the court through the prosecution’s case with testimony from lead investigator, Paul Aniebonam.
The court heard how the convict created fake online profiles to deceive unsuspecting victims abroad and laundered the proceeds through local financial institutions.
Aniebonam testified that Olalekan used the funds to acquire a white Mercedes-Benz ML350 worth N30 million in October 2024. He also revealed that a total of N124,402,322 was traced to the convict’s Wema Bank account. The prosecution tendered several exhibits, including the bank statement, car documents, the convict’s mobile device, and four extrajudicial statements.
In her ruling, Justice Awogboro sentenced Olalekan to 12 months imprisonment on each count, with the terms to run concurrently. The court also ordered the final forfeiture of all assets linked to the crime to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
These include the N124 million in his bank account, the Mercedes-Benz ML350, and an iPhone 14 Pro Max used in perpetrating the cyber fraud.
