A Federal High Court in Kano has convicted and sentenced 29 individuals for various cybercrime-related offenses following charges brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Kaduna Zonal Directorate.

Justice S. M. Shuaibu delivered the judgment after the defendants, who were arrested for offenses ranging from internet fraud and impersonation to money laundering and possession of proceeds of crimes, pleaded guilty to the charges during court proceedings.

Most of the convicts faced single-count charges, with the exception of Okechukwu Kingsley Ejim, who was arraigned on a two-count charge.

Case Details

One notable case involved Godfrey Prosper, alias "Goodlife001," who created a false Facebook profile to impersonate a foreign national with the intent to defraud unsuspecting victims.

The charge against Prosper stated: "That you Prosper Godfrey (a.k.a Goodlife001), male, sometime in April, 2025 in Nassarawa State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently impersonated Goodlife001 via a fake Facebook account with intent to gain advantage for yourself from unsuspecting foreign nationals and thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 22 (2) (b) (i) of the Cybercrimes Prohibition Prevention Etc Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22 (2) (b) (iv) of the same Act."

The prosecution counsel, M. U. Gadaka and M. Lawal, urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly after they had entered guilty pleas. The defense, however, pleaded for leniency, arguing that the convicts had expressed remorse for their actions.

After considering both arguments, Justice Shuaibu sentenced the convicts to varying terms of imprisonment with options of fines.

This conviction comes amid intensified efforts by the EFCC to combat the rising cases of cybercrime in Nigeria, particularly among young people who engage in various forms of internet fraud targeting both local and international victims.