EFCC secures jail terms for two fraudsters as Lagos court orders asset forfeiture

A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced two men, Agboola Abdullahi Abiodun and Victor Okonjo, for offences involving money laundering, cybercrime and fraudulent impersonation.

The convictions were secured by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice F.N. Ogazi.

The two men were separately arraigned before the court and pleaded guilty to the charges brought against them.

Abiodun faced a three-count charge bordering on money laundering and related offences. One of the allegations involved disguising proceeds from a dating scam through the purchase of a black Toyota Venza.

The offence was prosecuted under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, with the prosecution alleging that Abiodun dealt with proceeds linked to unlawful activity in a manner intended to conceal their origin.

Okonjo was separately arraigned on a two-count charge involving cybercrime and fraudulent impersonation.

One of the counts alleged that Okonjo fraudulently impersonated Aaron Bauer, identified in the charge as a male citizen of the United States, with the intention of obtaining an advantage for himself.

The allegation was brought under provisions of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act.

After the charges were read to the defendants, both men entered guilty pleas before the court.

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Following their pleas, EFCC prosecutor F.B. Orilade reviewed the facts of the cases and presented the prosecution’s evidence. He subsequently urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants according to the law.

Justice Ogazi, after considering the facts presented before the court and the defendants’ pleas, convicted both men and imposed separate sentences.

Abiodun was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment on count one, while he received one year each on counts two and three.

Okonjo, meanwhile, was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment with an option of a ₦500,000 fine on count one and four years’ imprisonment on count two.

The court ordered that the sentences should run concurrently, meaning the terms would not be added together to create separate consecutive prison periods.

The sentences were also ordered to take effect from the dates of the defendants’ arrests.

In addition to the prison sentences, the court ordered the forfeiture of the convicts’ mobile phones, laptops and vehicles.

The items listed in the forfeiture order include a Toyota Venza and a 2020 Mercedes-Benz.

Justice Ogazi directed that the forfeited assets should be sold and that the proceeds should be used to compensate the victims of the offences where the victims can be identified and traced.

Where the victims cannot be traced, the court ordered that the proceeds from the sale of the assets should be paid into the coffers of the Federal Government.

The judgment underscores the financial consequences that can accompany convictions for online fraud, money laundering and fraudulent impersonation, particularly where proceeds of alleged criminal activity are converted into valuable assets.

In Abiodun’s case, the prosecution linked the alleged laundering offence to proceeds from a dating scam and the purchase of a Toyota Venza.

Okonjo’s conviction, meanwhile, centred on the alleged fraudulent use of another person’s identity for personal advantage.

The case is also part of the broader efforts by the EFCC to prosecute suspected internet fraud and financial crime cases and recover assets linked to criminal offences.

With the court’s orders, the forfeited vehicles and electronic devices are to be disposed of in accordance with the judgment, with priority given to compensating identifiable victims.

The convictions bring the proceedings against the two defendants at the trial court to a close, subject to any further legal steps available to them under Nigerian law.

EFCC secures jail terms for two fraudsters as Lagos court orders asset forfeiture

My love for my wife affected my work, earnings — Husband begs court to save marriage

A Kaduna man and father of two, Aminu Kabiru, has told a Shari’a Court that his intense love for his estranged wife affected his ability to concentrate on his work and earn enough to provide for their family.

Kabiru made the unusual claim while responding to his wife’s application for divorce through Khul’i proceedings before the Shari’a Court in Kaduna State.

The husband told the court that his affection for his wife was so overwhelming that it distracted him from his work and affected his earning capacity.

“I could not provide enough for my family because of the intense love I have for my wife,” Kabiru told the court.

He appealed to the court to give the couple more time to reconcile, arguing that their marriage should be saved for the sake of their two young children.

Kabiru urged the court to consider the welfare of the children, who are both below the age of two.

The husband’s plea came after his wife, through her lawyer, Abubakar Jibril, made it clear that she no longer wanted to remain in the marriage.

Jibril told the court that his client had been living at her parents’ home for approximately eight months, claiming that she had not received adequate care and support from her husband during that period.

The lawyer said the couple married in 2024 and have two children together.

He told the court that their first child is 16 months old, while their second child is only two months old.

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Despite her husband’s request for reconciliation, the woman maintained that she had made up her mind to end the marriage.

Her lawyer also informed the court that she was prepared to return the N100,000 dowry she received from Kabiru as part of her request to dissolve the marriage.

“The complainant is no longer interested in the marriage and is ready to return the dowry she received,” Jibril told the court.

The issue of the dowry prompted the presiding judge, Malam Mu’awiya Shehu, to seek clarification on the amount involved.

Kabiru confirmed that the dowry was N100,000, but argued that the amount did not reflect the total expenses he had incurred for his wife before their wedding.

The husband told the court that he had spent substantially more than the dowry amount on his wife before they got married and asked that those expenses be considered in the proceedings.

The judge subsequently adjourned the case to enable Kabiru to provide details of the expenses he claimed to have incurred.

The adjournment means the court will have an opportunity to examine the husband’s financial claims before determining the next stage of the divorce case.

The proceedings have placed the couple’s disagreement over their marriage, financial responsibilities and reconciliation efforts before the court, with both sides maintaining different positions on whether the union should continue.

While Kabiru is asking for more time to repair the relationship and keep the family together, his wife has maintained through her counsel that she no longer wishes to remain in the marriage.

The welfare of their two young children is also central to the husband’s appeal for reconciliation.

The case will resume after the husband submits the details of the expenses he says he incurred before the marriage. The court will then consider the claims before deciding how to proceed with the woman’s Khul’i divorce application.

My love for my wife affected my work, earnings — Husband begs court to save marriage

Simon Ekpa challenges six-year terrorism sentence as Finland seeks longer jail term

Pro-Biafra separatist campaigner Simon Ekpa has appealed his six-year prison sentence for terrorism-related offences in Finland, while Finnish prosecutors have also challenged the sentence and are seeking a longer prison term.

The competing appeals are expected to be considered by the Finnish Court of Appeal, with the case set for hearings over the coming weeks. The prosecution argues that the six-year sentence imposed by the lower court does not adequately reflect the seriousness of the offences for which Ekpa was convicted.

Ekpa was arrested by Finnish authorities in November 2024 following an investigation into alleged terrorism-related activities linked to his separatist campaign in south-eastern Nigeria.

He was subsequently charged with participating in the activities of a terrorist group and publicly inciting crimes for terrorist purposes. Finnish prosecutors alleged that Ekpa used online platforms from Finland to influence events in Nigeria and promote activities connected to the campaign for an independent Biafra.

In September 2025, the Päijät-Häme District Court sentenced Ekpa to six years in prison after finding him guilty of the terrorism-related offences. The court also convicted him of aggravated tax fraud and violating provisions of Finland’s Attorneys Act.

The district court found that Ekpa had used his significant social media following to intensify tensions in south-eastern Nigeria between August 2021 and November 2024.

According to the court’s findings, Ekpa was an influential figure in a separatist movement seeking to establish an independent Biafra state and that armed groups linked to the movement were supplied with weapons, explosives and ammunition through his network of contacts.

The court also found that he had encouraged followers on X, formerly Twitter, to commit crimes in Nigeria.

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Ekpa has denied the allegations and challenged the prosecution’s characterization of his activities. He has maintained that his campaign was political in nature and disputed claims that he personally ordered weapons or commanded armed groups.

Ekpa acknowledged establishing the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE) and identifying himself as its leader, but rejected the argument that the organisation’s activities amounted to terrorism under Finnish law.

The Finnish prosecution’s case centred partly on Ekpa’s extensive online activities. Prosecutors argued that he used his social media influence from Finland to encourage actions that contributed to violence and unrest in Nigeria’s South-East.

The appeal now presents two competing challenges to the 2025 judgment. While Ekpa is seeking to overturn his conviction and/or reduce his sentence, Finnish prosecutors are asking the appellate court to impose a longer prison term.

The case has attracted considerable attention in Nigeria because of its connection to the prolonged separatist conflict in the South-East and allegations of violence associated with the wider Biafra separatist movement.

Ekpa has publicly associated himself with the Biafra independence campaign and has described himself as a disciple of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). However, Ekpa’s relationship with IPOB has been disputed, with the organisation previously distancing itself from claims that he was its leader.

The Federal Government of Nigeria also designated Ekpa a terrorism financier in March 2025, further intensifying the controversy surrounding his activities.

The Finnish case is particularly significant because many of the alleged activities were connected to Nigeria, while Finnish authorities argued that Ekpa coordinated and promoted the activities from Finland through social media and other communication channels.

The Finnish Court of Appeal will now determine whether the district court’s judgment should stand, whether Ekpa’s sentence should be reduced or overturned, or whether the prosecution’s request for a harsher sentence should be granted.

The outcome of the appeal could therefore determine whether Ekpa remains subject to the six-year sentence, receives a reduced punishment or faces a longer period in prison.

Simon Ekpa challenges six-year terrorism sentence as Finland seeks longer jail term