11 Convicted in Kwara Cybercrime Crackdown, Including Young Electrician
In a significant ruling on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, a Federal High Court in Ilorin, led by Justice Abimbola Awogboro, sentenced 20-year-old electrician Mathew Yaba and 10 others to prison terms ranging from six months to one year for cybercrime offenses.
The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured these convictions, underscoring Nigeria’s ongoing battle against internet fraud and personation.
Court Rulings and Sentences
Mathew Yaba was convicted of personation and retaining proceeds of unlawful activities, receiving a nine-month prison sentence without the option of a fine. The court ordered the forfeiture of his iPhone 13 and N200,000 to the Federal Government. His charge read: “That you, MATTHEW STEPHEN YABA sometime between the year 2022 and 2025, within the judicial division of the Federal High Court, was found to have retained the control of the gross sum of N7,384,750.00 through your Kuda Bank account number 2046437307 which you knew to be proceed of criminal conduct and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 17 (a) and (b) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004.”
The other convicts, prosecuted mostly before Justice Awogboro, except for one before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court, include:
Samuel Stephen Ayomide (Kogi), nine months for defrauding Faith Jackson of $922 via a Telegram scam, forfeiting $535 and an iPhone 16. His charge stated: “That you, SAMUEL STEPHEN AYOMIDE sometime in 2025, within the judicial division of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, sent electronic messages on your Telegram Account; CPN Goat, where you materially misrepresented facts that you specialise in creating credit bureaus scores on Credit privacy Number (CPN) under which reliance one Faith Jackson was caused to suffer loss of $922 through Bitcoin and thereby committed an computer-related fraud contrary to and punishable under Section 14 (2) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention Etc) Act 2015.”
Bamidele Favour Olajide (Kogi, music producer), six months, forfeiting an iPhone X, Samsung A05, and $50.
Isah Kadir (Kogi), 300 hours of community service, forfeiting an Infinix Hot 10 Light.
Samuel Peter Juwon (Kogi), 12 months from arrest date, forfeiting an iPhone 6, iPhone XR, iPhone 13, HP Laptop, and $500.Omolaiye Stephen Benefit (Edo), nine months, forfeiting phones and N1 million.
Kayode Emmanuel Opeyemi (Kwara), six months, forfeiting a phone and N500,000.
Abdulrahim Lasisi (Kogi), 150 hours of community service, forfeiting a Samsung S9.
Ugwuadu Ikechukwu Michael (Imo), 12 months, forfeiting a phone and N500,000.
Moshood Abduljawad (Kwara), six months, forfeiting a phone and $190.
Abdulrasaq Jubril (Kwara, car spare parts seller), six-month suspended sentence, forfeiting an iPhone 12, $180, and ordered to pay $110 more.
Legal Proceedings
All defendants pleaded guilty. EFCC prosecutors Aliyu Adebayo, Andrew Akoja, and Omolade Ajibola presented extrajudicial statements, recovered items (phones, laptops), and restituted funds, which were admitted as evidence.
The courts upheld the prosecutions based on guilty pleas and uncontroverted evidence, reflecting the EFCC’s rigorous approach.
This crackdown highlights the EFCC’s focus on curbing cybercrime among diverse groups, from electricians to music producers. The forfeitures and community service aim to deter future offenses while recovering illicit gains. The rulings spark discussions on addressing the root causes of cybercrime in Nigeria. What do you think about these convictions? Tell Us Your Mind.
