21st May, 2025
A 23-year-old internet fraudster, Adebisi Emmanuel Olalekan, has been sentenced to two years imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Ilorin, Kwara State, for engaging in cybercrime and impersonation that yielded him over N124 million in criminal proceeds.
Justice Abimbola Awogboro delivered the judgment on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, following Olalekan’s guilty plea to a two-count charge brought against him by the Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Olalekan, who hails from Omuo-Ekiti in Ekiti East Local Government Area of Ekiti State, was accused of posing as foreign nationals including one Joshua Compbell Novak to defraud unsuspecting victims online. According to the EFCC, the crimes were committed between August and December 2024, during which he used fake Gmail and TextPlus accounts to impersonate and extract money from his victims.
One of the victims, Allisa Motazedi, was duped of $100,000, while another, Brittany Boggess, lost $1,000 to the same scheme.
“The convict created fake online identities and manipulated foreign victims into transferring huge sums of money. These were traced to his bank account and used to acquire luxury items,” said EFCC counsel, Sesan Ola, while presenting evidence in court.
Paul Aniebonam, the investigating officer, told the court that a white Mercedes Benz ML350 worth N30 million was purchased by the convict in October 2024 from the proceeds of his cybercrimes. He also confirmed that N124,402,322 found in Olalekan’s Wema Bank account was linked to similar fraudulent transactions.
Justice Awogboro sentenced Olalekan to 12 months on each count, to run consecutively, without an option of fine. She further ordered the forfeiture of the luxury vehicle, the N124 million, and an iPhone 14 Pro Max used to carry out the scams to the Federal Government.
The EFCC said the case was initiated following intelligence received from the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), which first uncovered the suspect’s illegal activities.
“This judgment is another clear signal that the law will catch up with those who exploit digital platforms to commit crime,” the EFCC said in a statement.
