Nine internet fraudsters have been convicted in Awka as the EFCC steps up its fight against online scams in Nigeria.
They were found guilty of impersonation and fraud, receiving prison terms, fines, and forfeiting their devices to the government.
The Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of nine internet fraudsters before Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the Federal High Court sitting in Awka, Anambra State. The individuals were found guilty of cybercrime-related offences including identity theft and fraudulent impersonation.
The convicted persons are Daniel Okochukwu Okoh, Onwe Chidera Solomon, Hyacinth Chinedu Ani, Malachy Makuochi Adonu, Udeh Collins Chidimma, Ukoro Victor Somto, Ezekiel Valentine Chidubem, Ugwuanyi Kingsley Chinwetalu, and Obi Ezeanyim Eric Ifesinachi. While Adonu and Chidimma faced two-count charges each, the others were prosecuted on separate one-count charges.
According to the EFCC, the suspects were found to have impersonated foreign nationals, primarily through fake social media and messaging platforms, to defraud unsuspecting individuals abroad. For example, 21-year-old Ukoro Victor Somto impersonated an American actress named Carly Kuiken via Telegram using a Samsung S10e device, while Daniel Okochukwu Okoh created a fake Instagram account using the username “Igorbest 2023,” pretending to be a Russian man living in Australia in a bid to deceive a Russian woman named Lubov Bustova.
Following their arrest and arraignment, all the defendants pleaded guilty to their charges. The EFCC’s prosecuting counsel, Assistant Commander of the EFCC (ACE II), Rotimi Ajobiewe, urged the court to convict and sentence the individuals based on their confessions and the weight of evidence presented.
In response, defence counsels B.C. Okeke, Wisdom Ogbonna, C.M. Okafor, and James Nwatarali appealed to the court for leniency, citing their clients’ remorse and willingness to reform.
Justice Anyadike delivered various sentences as follows:
- Ani, Chinwetalu, and Solomon received six months imprisonment each with an option of a ₦50,000 fine.
- Adonu was sentenced to two years in prison or a ₦200,000 fine.
- Okoh received six months with a ₦50,000 fine and an additional two weeks of community service.
- Chidimma was handed 12 months in prison or a ₦100,000 fine for count one and 18 months or a ₦200,000 fine for count two.
- Somto was sentenced to six months imprisonment or a ₦200,000 fine.
- Ifesinachi received six months or a ₦100,000 fine.
- Chidubem was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment with an option of a ₦200,000 fine.
In addition, the court ordered that all proceeds of crime, including phones and laptops recovered from Ani, Ezekiel, Collins, and Okoh, be forfeited to the Federal Government.
These convictions followed a May 2, 2025 operation in Premier Layout, Enugu State, during which the EFCC arrested 51 suspected internet fraudsters based on actionable intelligence.
In a related case, Justice Anyadike also remanded one Okafor Sunday Chikwado in the Nigeria Correctional Service, Awka, over allegations of operating an unlicensed Bureau De Change. He was arraigned on a three-count charge for operating a financial service without Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) approval, failing to declare assets, and non-compliance with EFCC inquiries.
The first count of the charge read: “That you, Okafor Sunday Chikwado, trading under the name and style Asia Big Name Enterprise Heritage, sometime in May 2025 at Onitsha… carried on business of other financial institution in Nigeria (Bureau De Change) without a license from the Central Bank of Nigeria…”
Chikwado pleaded not guilty to all charges. In response, EFCC counsel Ajobiewe requested the court to set a trial date and remand the defendant.
Justice Anyadike granted the request, setting July 15, 2025 for hearing on his bail application and ordered that he remain in the Awka correctional facility pending trial.
The EFCC continues to intensify efforts to clamp down on cybercrime and illicit financial activities across the nation.
