A Kaduna State High Court has convicted and sentenced
three individuals to prison for engaging in internet fraud through Facebook and
TikTok.
The convicts—Aliyu Hassan, Samuel Olamide, and Solomon
Joseph Christian—were found guilty of separate one-count charges involving
criminal impersonation and obtaining money under false pretences.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
disclosed the convictions on Tuesday, March 17, via its official X account,
noting that the Kaduna Zonal Directorate secured the ruling before Justice A.
Isiaka.
According to the EFCC, Hassan, who operated under the
alias “Ottaviani Loverules Giovanni,” posed as a Brazilian citizen on Facebook
on February 9, 2026, and defrauded a victim identified as Kerry of N90,000.
Olamide, also known as “Johnny,” impersonated a United
States citizen on TikTok on the same day and deceived an American victim,
Jackie Sanders, into sending money.
Similarly, Christian, alias “Jenort,” carried out a
separate fraud in February 2026 by impersonating another individual on Facebook
and obtaining $150 from his victim.
The anti-graft agency stated that the offences
violated Section 142(1) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017. All three
defendants pleaded guilty, leading the prosecution counsel, M.U. Gadaka, to
request their conviction and sentencing.
Justice Isiaka subsequently sentenced each of them to
five years’ imprisonment, with an option of a N300,000 fine.
In addition to the prison terms, the court ordered the
forfeiture of items recovered from the convicts to the Federal Government.
Hassan forfeited N90,000 and a Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Olamide forfeited a
Samsung Galaxy S21, while Christian forfeited an iPhone 14 Pro and $150,
identified as proceeds of their crimes.
The EFCC revealed that the suspects were arrested in
the Agwa/Kudende area of Kaduna following credible intelligence linking them to
fraudulent online activities.
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