Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced one Olalere Kehinde Barnabas to two years imprisonment for internet fraud.
Barnabas was sentenced on Thursday, having been arraigned on a one-count charge bordering on cybercrime to the tune of $2000 (Two Thousand United States Dollars) brought against him by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to the charge read, the convict sometime in 2023 fraudulently impersonated one Job Bonamassa, a citizen of the United States of America, via a fraudulent profile on his Facebook and Instagram accounts to gain advantage from unsuspecting victims, thereby committing an offence, contrary to Section 22(2)(b) and punishable under Section 22(2) (iv) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention).
Barnabas pleaded “guilty” to the charge when it was read to him, following which, prosecution counsel, T.J. Banjo, called the investigating officer, Nwike Fortune,to give a brief review of facts.
In his evidence, Fortune explained that the defendant was arrested at Favoured Height Estate, Lekki, Lagos on June 24, 2025, alongside others and brought to the EFCC office at 15A, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
“He was cautioned and he made voluntary statements, where he confessed to being into celebrity scam- he misrepresented himself as a white man named Joe Bonamassa”, Fortune said, adding that the defendant confessed to have benefited 2000 USD only, equivalent to N1.8m from his victims as at 2023.
According to Fortune, the defendant had tendered a GTB Bank manager’s cheque of N900,000 (Nine Hundred Thousand Naira) as part of his restitution.
Upon his arrest, an IPhone 14 was recovered from him, which when analysed was found to have held fraudulent documents printed off the device.
Banjo, thereafter, tendered the defendant’s statements and items recovered from him as evidence. He also prayed the court to convict him as charged and sentence him accordingly.
Consequently, Justice Owoeye held that the defendant, having admitted to the offence and narrating how the offence was committed as well as his admittance to deriving benefits, is hereby convicted as charged.
In his allocutus, the defence counsel, Fabian Nwaoforji, prayed the court to “temper justice with mercy” in sentencing the defendant. He also submitted that the defendant was a first-time offender and that he had pledged “to live a cybercrime-free life.”
The Judge sentenced Barnabas to two years imprisonment, with an option of fine of N350,000 (Three Hundred and fifty Thousand Naira).
His iPhone device and manager’s cheque valued at N900,000 (Nine Hundred Thousand Naira) were ordered forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
