A Federal High Court in Kaduna has sentenced two individuals, Olayinka Saidu and Adams Shedrack, to five and two years in prison, respectively, for their involvement in cybercrime.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced the verdict in a statement released on Facebook on Tuesday.
The defendants were apprehended in Minna, Niger State, following intelligence reports regarding their fraudulent activities. They faced charges of impersonation, cybercrime, and money laundering before Justice R.M. Aikawa.
According to the EFCC, Saidu, also known as Lily Bright, was found guilty of defrauding Chad Beatty, a resident of the United States, out of $100 in 2022. This offense was classified under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022.
Shedrack, who used the alias Kellie Hamza, was charged with impersonating a German citizen, Hamza Topchvev, on Facebook in September 2024, resulting in a fraudulent gain of $200. This offense fell under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act of 2015.
Both defendants pleaded guilty, leading prosecutor K.S. Ogunlade to request appropriate sentencing. Justice Aikawa subsequently sentenced Saidu to five years in prison, with an alternative fine of N700,000, while Shedrack received a two-year sentence or a fine of N500,000.
In addition to their prison sentences, both men were ordered to forfeit their communication devices, deemed instruments of their crimes, to the Federal Government.
