Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos, on Monday, convicted and sentenced five more fraudsters arrested at a hotel near the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, to various terms of imprisonment.
The internet fraudsters, popularly known as 'Yahoo Yahoo' boys including Christian Okoli, Adeleye Emmanuel, Akinyele Fatai, Bolaji Shonekan, and Olufemi Ayomiposi, all pleaded guilty to separate charges of impersonation, identity theft, and internet fraud.
The convicts were part of the 93 suspects arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on August 10, 2025, during a sting operation at OOPL.
The first convict, brought before the court was Okoli, who was charged with engaging in online romance scams.
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The anti-graft agency told the court that a Samsung S23 Ultra and incriminating documents were recovered from the suspect, and had already refunded N300,000 to the Commission.
After reviewing the evidence, the court sentenced Okoli to three months in prison with a fine of N1 million, and also ordered that the phone and the N300,000 draft be forfeited to the federal government.
Justice Dipeolu sentenced the second convict, Emmanuel, who confessed to participating in romance scams, to one month of community service to be supervised by the Correctional Services.
As part of his punishment, Emmanuel was ordered to carry a placard that reads "Crime Does Not Pay" from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
The third convict, Fatai, admitted to benefiting $2,000 from his fraudulent activities and that he had refunded N500,000 via a manager's cheque from Access Bank.
Based on his plea, the court convicted him in accordance with Section 274 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, sentencing him to six months' imprisonment with N3 million fine as option.
The fourth convict, Shonekan, who claimed to be affiliated with a US-based gang member currently serving time in California, was sentenced to 30-day jail term, effective from August 10, 2025, the date of his arrest.
The fifth convict, Ayomiposi, admitted to earning $2,800 from romance scams but claimed that he had refunded N1 million through two managers' cheques.
He was sentenced to 30 days in prison, starting from his arrest on August 10, 2025.
Ayomiposi's two phones and the N1 million draft were forfeited to the federal government.
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