By Barikui Felix
Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Thursday, July 3, 2025, convicted and sentenced one Olalere Kehinde Barnabas to two years’ imprisonment for internet fraud.
Barnabas was arraigned on a one-count charge bordering on cybercrime to the tune of $2,000 (Two Thousand United States Dollars), brought against him by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The charge reads: “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 ‘Joe Bonamassa’, a citizen of the United States of America, by holding yourself out 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, etc.) Act, 2015.”
He pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him.
In view of his plea, the prosecution counsel, T.J. Banjo, called the investigating officer, Nwike Fortune, to give a brief review of the facts.
In his testimony, Fortune told the court that the defendant was arrested on June 24, 2025, at Favoured Height Estate, Lekki, Lagos, alongside others and brought to the EFCC office at 15A Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. He said the defendant was cautioned and made voluntary statements in which he confessed to engaging in celebrity scams by misrepresenting himself as a white man named Joe Bonamassa.
Fortune further stated that the defendant admitted to benefitting $2,000, equivalent to about N1.8 million in 2023, from his fraudulent activities. He presented a GTBank manager’s cheque of N900,000 as part of restitution.
An iPhone 14 was recovered from him during the arrest. The device was analysed and fraudulent documents were extracted and printed as evidence.
Banjo then tendered the defendant’s statements and the recovered items as exhibits before the court.
