Court Convicts Man for Online Employment Scam in Lagos

T The Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction and sentencing of one Ademola Ayobami Idris for internet fraud. He was sentenced by Justice D.I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.

Idris was arraigned on Friday, August 1, 2025, on a one-count charge of cybercrime. The charge read:

"That you, Ademola Ayobami Idris, sometime in 2021 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, fraudulently held out yourself on Google mail as Mike Samorano, an American recruiter, with intent to gain advantage for yourself, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(2)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition) Act, 2015."

He pleaded guilty to the charge.

Following his plea, the prosecution counsel, A.A. Usman, called Kamal Musa Jubril, an EFCC operative, to present a review of the facts. Jubril stated that Idris was arrested during a sting operation in the Alagbado area of Lagos, based on intelligence about internet fraud activities.

The operative revealed that Idris was apprehended with an iPhone 15 Pro Max, which he attempted to destroy upon sighting the EFCC team.

“He claimed to be a cryptocurrency trader and that he was not involved in any fraud,” Jubril said. “He, however, later confessed to being involved in online employment fraud. He disclosed that he usually sent random emails of non-existing jobs to his unsuspecting victims after getting their contact details on Craigslist App.”

Jubril further told the court that the defendant admitted to earning $400 from his fraudulent scheme and had already restituted the sum of ?300,000.

The prosecution then tendered the defendant’s extrajudicial statements, the recovered iPhone, and forensic evidence, all of which were admitted as exhibits.

Justice Dipeolu convicted and sentenced Idris to three months in prison with no option of fine. Additionally, the judge ordered that the ?300,000 restitution and the iPhone 15 Pro Max be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.