Yesterday, The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured the conviction of four Filipinos and seven Nigerians for their involvement in cyberterrorism and internet fraud. The ruling was delivered by Justice Yellim Bogoro at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.
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The Filipino individuals convicted are Reyna Mae Eriba, Chyna Samonte, Zara Fabian, and Dominique Medina, while the Nigerian convicts include Chidera Ezechukwu, Favour Oluchukwu, Egwenum Ifeanyi, David Okezie, Gbenga Shittu Solomon, Ibraheem Olamilekan, and Oghomienor Jotham. They faced separate charges related to cybercrime activities. Chyna Samonte was charged with deliberately accessing computer systems in December 2024 with the intention of severely undermining Nigeria's economic and social structures. This involved employing Nigerian youths for identity theft under the guise of foreign nationality to achieve financial gain, violating the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act of 2015 (as amended in 2024) and the Terrorism (Prevention, Prohibition) Act of 2022.
Chidera Ezechukwu faced charges for retaining over N12 million in his UBA account, funds that were deemed to be proceeds from his participation in an online dating scam. This offense was contrary to the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act of 2004, as amended. Upon pleading "guilty" to the charges, prosecution counsel—including Anita Imo, S.I. Suleiman, H.U. Kofarnaisa, and B.M. Isah—requested appropriate sentencing and the forfeiture of all recovered items to the federal government. Justice Bogoro sentenced Eriba, Samonte, Fabian, and Medina to one year imprisonment each, or a fine of N1,000,000 (One Million Naira). Additionally, he ordered the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service to facilitate their deportation back to their home country within seven days following their release.
Gbenga received a one-year prison sentence or a fine of N700,000 (Seven Hundred Thousand Naira), while Jotham, Olalekan, Ezechukwu, David, Ifeanyi, and Oluchukwu were all sentenced to one year in prison or a fine of N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) each. Furthermore, the judge ordered that all items recovered from the convicts, including vehicles, communication devices, and cash, be forfeited to the federal government.