Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, has sentenced one Olalere Kehinde Barnabas to two years in prison for internet fraud.
Barnabas faced a single count charge for cybercrime involving $2,000 (Two Thousand United States Dollars), filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The charge states: “That you, OLALERE KEHINDE BARNABAS, sometime in 2023, at Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to gain advantage for yourself, did fraudulently impersonate one ‘Job Bonamassa’, a Citizen of the United States of America, by holding yourself to unsuspecting victims via a fraudulent profile on your Facebook and Instagram account and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to Section 22(2)(b) and punishable under Section 22(2)(iv) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention).”
Upon reading the charge, Barnabas pleaded “guilty.” Following this, prosecution counsel T.J. Banjo called witness Nwike Fortune, the investigating officer, to provide a brief overview of the incident.
Fortune testified, stating, “The defendant was arrested at Favoured Height Estate, Lekki, Lagos, on June 24, 2025. He was taken to the EFCC office at 15A, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. He was cautioned and made voluntary statements, where he confessed to being involved in a celebrity scam by misrepresenting himself as a white man named Joe Bonamassa.”
He further revealed that “The defendant confessed to having received $2,000, equivalent to N1.8 million, from his victims in 2023. He provided a GTB Bank Manager’s cheque worth N900,000 (Nine Hundred Thousand Naira) as part of his restitution. An iPhone 14 was recovered from him, and upon analyis, fraudulent documents were printed from the device.”
Banjo submitted the defendant’s statements and the items seized as evidence and requested that the Court convict him as charged.
Consequently, Justice Owoeye stated, “The defendant, having admitted to the offence and narrating how the offence was committed as well as his acknowledgment of benefiting, is hereby convicted as charged.” In his allocutus, defense Counsel, Fabian Nwaoforji urged the court to “temper justice with mercy” when sentencing. He noted that the defendant was a first-time offender and had committed to living a cybercrime-free life.
Ultimately, the Judge sentenced Barnabas to two years in prison, with the option of fine of N350,000 (Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira).
The Judge also ordered the forfeiture of his iPhone, and a Manager’s cheque valued at N900,000 (Nine Hundred Thousand Naira). Barnabas was arrested by EFCC operatives for internet-related offenses, leading to his Court charges and conviction.
