Four judges of the Benue State High Court in Makurdi have convicted and sentenced 21 internet fraudsters to various prison terms for cybercrime and impersonation offenses. The convictions were handed down on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, after the defendants pleaded guilty to separate one-count charges.
Justices A. Ikpambese, T.A. Igoche, W.I. Kpocho, and T.A. Kume presided over the cases brought by the Makurdi Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Convicted Cybercriminals
The convicted individuals include Mohammed Hameed Jimoh, Henry Temitope Abosede, Alonge Boluwatife Adebiyi, Micheal Ayomide Emmanuel, AbdulKareem Murtala Abiodun, and Ayedele Israel. Others are Oladele Temitope Peace, Dennis Chijoke Raphael, Chisom Evans Okonkwo, Micheal Faith Damilola, Oguntoye Elijah Timilehin, and Hezekiah Ayomide Owoeye.
The list also includes Happiness Opeyemi Atolagbe, Ismail Abidemi Abdulwakil, Micheal Nanakaa, Dominic Felix, Jamiu Abdulwakil Muhammed, Nasirudeen Babatunde, Olarewaju Mohammed Adeshina, Hannah Yakubu, and Oludare Fatilewa Samson.
Sentences Imposed
The majority of the defendants received one-year prison sentences with an option of a ₦100,000 fine each. These include Jimoh, Abosede, Adebiyi, Emmanuel, Israel, Peace, Raphael, Babatunde, Okonkwo, Adeshina, Samson, Damilola, Elijah, Atolagbe, Abdulwakil, Timilehin, and Hannah.
Dominic Felix received a harsher sentence of two years' imprisonment or a fine of ₦100,000. AbdulKareem Murtala Abiodun and Ayedele Israel were each sentenced to two years' imprisonment with an option of a ₦100,000 fine, while Jamiu Abdulwakil Muhammed received one and a half years with an option of a ₦150,000 fine.
Additional Penalties
Beyond the prison terms, the judges ordered all convicts to forfeit their laptop computers, mobile phones, and funds in their bank accounts to the Federal Government. These items were presumably used in committing the cybercrimes or represented proceeds from their illegal activities.
According to court records, the convicts were arrested by operatives of the Makurdi Zonal Directorate of EFCC during operations targeting internet-related offenses in the region. Their arrest and subsequent prosecution form part of the EFCC's ongoing efforts to combat the rising wave of cybercrime in Nigeria.
