A Kaduna State High Court has handed down five-year prison sentences to three men for their involvement in separate online fraud operations.
Justice A. Isiaka, who presided over the case in Kaduna, convicted Aliyu Hassan, Samuel Olamide, and Solomon Joseph Christian after finding them guilty of impersonation and obtaining money under false pretences.
In a statement, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said its Kaduna Zonal Directorate arraigned the defendants after they were apprehended in the Agwa and Kudende areas of the state. Their arrest followed intelligence reports linking them to multiple online scam activities.
During the trial, evidence showed how the three men used different social media platforms to defraud unsuspecting victims. Each of them was charged separately with a one-count offence tied to their actions.
The charge against Hassan read: “That you, Aliyu Hassan (a.k.a. Ottaviani Loverules Giovanni), on or about the 9th of February, 2026, in Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, impersonated one Ottaviani Loverules Giovanni (a citizen of Brazil) via the Facebook platform and, in such assumed character, you defrauded one Kerry of the sum of N90,000.00 (Ninety Thousand Naira only), and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 142(1) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017, and punishable under the same law.”
Olamide’s charge stated: “That you, Samuel Olamide (a.k.a. Johnny), on or about the 9th of February, 2026, in Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, impersonated one Johnny (a citizen of the United States of America) via the TikTok platform and, in such assumed character, you defrauded one Jackie Sanders (an American), and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 142(1) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017, and punishable under the same law.”
Christian faced a charge that read: “That you, Solomon Joseph Christian (a.k.a. Jenort), sometime in February 2026, in Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, impersonated one Jenort via Facebook (a social media platform) and, in that assumed character, benefited the sum of $150, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 142(1) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017, and punishable under the same law.”
When the charges were presented in court, all three defendants pleaded guilty, admitting to the offences. Following their admissions, EFCC prosecuting counsel, M.U. Gadaka, urged the court to proceed with conviction and sentencing.
Justice Isiaka subsequently sentenced each of the convicts to five years in prison, with the alternative option of paying a fine of N300,000.
The court also directed that all assets connected to the crimes be forfeited. Hassan relinquished N90,000 and a Samsung Galaxy Note 8 mobile phone (IMEI No. SM-N9500), identified as proceeds of his offence. Olamide forfeited a Samsung Galaxy S21 mobile phone (IMEI No. 35198153052814), which was used in carrying out his crime, while Christian surrendered an iPhone 14 Pro (IMEI No. 35771267218661) along with $150, representing the proceeds of his fraudulent activity. All recovered items were ordered to be handed over to the federal government.
