By Miriam Humbe
The Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, August 18, 2025, secured the conviction and sentence of three internet fraudsters before Justice D.I.Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.
Dele Oyewale, EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity disclosed this in a statement.
The convicts, Oyatokun Damilola Qudus, Adenekan Adewole Ayinde and Adisa Okikiade, are among the 93 suspected fraudsters arrested during a sting operation on Sunday, August 10, 2025, at a hotel within the precincts of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, OOPL, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
They were arraigned on separate one-count charge bordering on impersonation, identify and internet fraud.
The charge against Qudus reads:” That you, Oyatokun Damilola Qudus, sometime in August 2025 in Lagos, within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently held out yourself on Instagram page; @ericmelissa as Eric Melissa, a white female with intent to gain advantage for yourself and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(2)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition etc.) Act, 2015.”
The charge against Ayinde reads: “That you, Adenekan Adewole Ayinde, sometime in August, 2025 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently held yourself as a white woman from United States of America on your google account; [email protected], with intent to gain advantage for yourself, thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(2) (b)] of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015.”
The charge against Okikiade reads: “That you, ADISA OKIKIADE, (Male) between 2024 to 2025 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently held out yourself on Google as Anthony Krenn, with intention to gain advantage for yourself and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishment Section 22 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition etc) Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2015.”
They each pleaded “guilty” to the charges preferred against them.
In view of their guilty pleas, prosecution counsel, S.M.Yabo, called the investigative officers, Adamu Yakubu, Ilyasu Dauda and Umar Giade, to review the facts of the cases.
Yabo, thereafter, sought to tender, in evidence, the extra-judicial statements of the defendants, Ayinde’s iPhone 14 pro, Okikiade’s infinix smart phone used to perpetrate the crime, the N200,000 bank draft in restitution made by Ayinde as well as the forensic investigation documents printed from their devices.
They were all admitted as exhibits by the court.
The judge, in view of the defendants’ guilty pleas and evidence tendered by the prosecution, found them guilty and convicted them accordingly.
The defence counsel, respectively, pleaded with the judge to “temper justice with mercy,” adding that their clients were first-time offenders who have shown remorse.
Delivering judgment, Justice Dipeolu convicted and sentenced Qudus to one month imprisonment from the date of arrest, with the option of fine of N300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira).
The Judge also convicted and sentenced Ayinde, who benefited the sum of $180 (One Hundred and Eighty United States Dollars) from his criminal activities, to one month imprisonment , with the option of fine of N250,000 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira).
The judge ordered that the iPhone 14 pro and the sum of N200,000 in restitution be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Okikiade was sentenced to one month imprisonment, with the option of N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) fine.
The judge also ordered that the Infinix smart phone recovered from him be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
