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The Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos
A Lagos court has ordered the deportation of four Filipinos over cyberterrorism and internet fraud.
A Friday statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said the sentence was handed down by Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The EFCC stated that its Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 also secured the conviction and sentencing of seven Nigerians for the same offences.
The Filipino convicts are Reyna Mae Eriba, Chyna Samonte, Zara Fabian and Dominique Medina.
In addition to their sentences, the judge ordered the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to ensure their deportation to their country of origin within seven days of completing their sentences.
The Nigerians are Chidera Ezechukwu, Favour Oluchukwu, Egwenum Ifeanyi, David Okezie, Gbenga Shittu Solomon, Ibraheem Olamilekan and Oghomienor Jotham.
They were prosecuted on separate charges bordering on cyberterrorism and internet fraud.
Samonte charges read: “That you, Chynna Samonte, sometime in December 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, willfully caused to be accessed, computer systems organized to seriously destabilize and destroy the fundamental economic and social structure of Nigeria when you procured/employed Nigerian youths for identity theft and to hold themselves out as persons of foreign nationality, with the intent to gain financial advantage for yourselves and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Ete) Act, 2015 (As amended 2024) and Section 2(3)(d) of the Terrorism (Prevention, Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
That of Ezechukwu read: “That you, Chidera Ezechukwu, sometime in May 2025 at Lagos, within the Judicial Division of this Honourable Court, did retain the sum of N12,750,318.63 (Twelve Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Three Hundred and Eighteen Million, million, Sixty-three Kobo) in your UBA account with account number 2330149541, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful act to wit: engaging in an online dating scam and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 as amended and punishable under Section 14(2) of the same Act.”
The EFCC said that they pleaded “guilty” to the charges when they were read to them. Following this, prosecution counsel Anita Imo, S.I. Suleiman, H.U. Kofarnaisa, and B.M. Isah requested that the court convict and sentence them accordingly and that all items recovered from them be forfeited to the federal government.
Justice Bogoro convicted and sentenced Eriba, Samonte, Fabian, and Medina to one year in prison each or to pay a ?1 million fine, respectively.
Gbenga was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment or to pay a fine of ?700,000, while Jotham, Olalekan, Ezechukwu, David, Ifeanyi, and Oluchukwu were each sentenced to one year’s imprisonment or to pay a fine of ?500,000.
In addition, the judge ruled that all items recovered from the convicts, including cars, communication devices and money, be forfeited to the federal government. (Channels TV)
