The Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced three men for internet fraud following their arrest in a sting operation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The convicts, identified as Oyatokun Damilola Qudus, Adenekan Adewole Ayinde, and Adisa Okikiade, were among 93 suspected fraudsters apprehended on August 10, 2025, during a late-night raid at a hotel located within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
According to EFCC, they were subsequently arraigned on separate one-count charges of impersonation and internet-related offences in violation of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015.
According to court documents, Qudus created a false Instagram profile under the name “Eric Melissa,” posing as a white woman to defraud unsuspecting victims. Ayinde also impersonated a United States woman using a Google account, agoldberg374@gmail.com, through which he obtained the sum of 180 dollars.
Similarly, Okikiade presented himself online as Anthony Krenn between 2024 and 2025 with the intent to gain undue advantage.
The Commission said that when the charges were read, all three defendants pleaded guilty.
It noted that S.M. Yabo, prosecution counsel, presented the facts of the case before Justics D.I. Dipeolu, calling investigative officers Adamu Yakubu, Ilyasu Dauda and Umar Giade to testify.
“The court admitted in evidence the extra-judicial statements of the convicts, a forensic analysis of their devices, Ayinde’s iPhone 14 Pro, Okikiade’s Infinix smartphone, and a ₦200,000 bank draft tendered as restitution by Ayinde”, EFCC said.
While pleading for leniency, defence counsel described the convicts as first-time offenders who had shown remorse.
Dipeolu, however, held that the evidence presented by the prosecution established their guilt beyond doubt.
Delivering judgment, the court sentenced Qudus to one month imprisonment from the date of his arrest, with an option of a ₦300,000 fine.
Ayinde was handed one month imprisonment with an option of a ₦250,000 fine, while the judge also ordered the forfeiture of his iPhone 14 Pro and the ₦200,000 restitution sum to the Federal Government.
Okikiade received a one-month jail term with an option of a ₦100,000 fine, and his Infinix smartphone was ordered forfeited to the Government.
In a statement signed Dele Oyewale, its Head of Media and Publicity, the EFCC noted that the convictions reinforced the Commission’s commitment to tackling cybercrime across the country.
It added that the sting operation at OOPL was part of ongoing nationwide efforts to disrupt internet fraud networks and bring offenders to justice.
