Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on Friday convicted eight Internet fraudsters, who pleaded guilty to cybercrime offences, following their arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abeokuta.
The convicts were among 93 suspects apprehended during a sting operation at a hotel within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Complex.
They were charged with offences bordering on obtaining money under false pretence, identity theft, and romance scams, contrary to the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, and the EFCC Act 2004.
During the proceedings, EFCC investigators testified that incriminating evidence, including iPhones and fraudulent documents retrieved from the defendants’ devices, linked them to online scams.
Some of the convicts admitted to earning millions of naira through romance fraud and tendered restitution in the form of manager’s cheques.