The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, on Friday, convicted and sentenced four Filipinos and eight Nigerians to one year imprisonment each for offences bordering on cyber-terrorism and internet fraud.
Justice Yellim Bogoro also gave the Filipinos a fine of N1,000,000.00 (One Million Naira) each.
The convicts are a part of a larger number of the 792 people arrested during a surprise operation tagged “Eagle Flush Operation” by EFCC operatives in December 2024 at their hideout in a seven-storey building called Big Leaf Building on Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The four Filipinos; Reyna Mae Eriba, Chyna Samonte, Zara Fabian and Dominique Medina were arrested alongside their Nigerian counterparts, Chidera Ezechukwu, Favour Oluchukwu, Egwenum Ifeanyi, David Okezie, Gbenga Shittu Solomon, Ibraheem Olamilekan, Chinecherem Michael and
Oghomienor Jotham.
READ ALSO: EFCC Arraigns More Chinese, Filipino For Alleged Cybercrime
They were all arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos on separate charges of cyber-terrorism and internet fraud.
One of the charges reads: “That you Chynna Samonte sometime in December 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court willfully caused to be accessed, computer systems organized to seriously destabilize and destroy the fundamental economic and social structure of Nigeria when you procured/employed Nigerian youths for identity theft and to hold themselves out as persons of foreign nationality, with the intent to gain financial advantage for yourselves and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishuble under Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Ete) Act, 2015 (As amended 2024) and Section 2(3)(d) of the Terrorism (Prevention, Prohibition) Act, 2022
Another charge reads: “That you, Chidera Ezechukwu Praise, sometime in May 2025 at Lagos, within the Judicial Division of this Honourable Court did retain the sum of N12,750,318.63 (Twelve Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Three Hundred and Eighteen Million, million, Sixty-three Kobo) in your UBA account with account number 2330149541, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful act to wit: engaging in online dating scam and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 as amended and punishable under section 14(2) of the same Act.”
They all pleaded “guilty” to the offence when the charges were read to them and Justice Bogoro convicted them accordingly.
Upon the conviction of the defendants, the EFCC prosecution counsels asked the court to forfeit all the exhibits recovered from them. The items recovered from the 12 convicts includes, monies, cars, mobile devices etc all of which the court ordered should be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Apart from the one year imprisonment each, and a fine of N1m each, the Judge also ordered that upon completion of their sentences the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service should ensure that the convicts are repatriated to their country of origin within seven days.
For their Nigerian counterparts, they got options of fines ringing from N500,000 to N700,000.
Gbenga Shittu was sentenced to One year imprisonment or an option of fine in the sum of N700,000.00
Source: Channels TV
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