A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced four Filipino nationals and seven Nigerians for their involvement in cyberterrorism and internet fraud.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, secured the convictions on Friday, June 13, 2025, before Justice Yellim Bogoro, after filing separate charges against the accused persons.
The convicted Filipinos are Reyna Mae Eriba, Chyna Samonte, Zara Fabian, and Dominique Medina. The Nigerians convicted include Chidera Ezechukwu, Favour Oluchukwu, Egwenum Ifeanyi, David Okezie, Gbenga Shittu Solomon, Ibraheem Olamilekan, and Oghomienor Jotham.
They all pleaded guilty to the charges read against them, which ranged from cyberterrorism to identity theft and money laundering.
One of the charges against Chyna Samonte stated:
“That you, Chynna Samonte, sometime in December 2024 in Lagos, willfully caused computer systems to be accessed and organized attacks meant to destabilize and destroy Nigeria’s fundamental economic and social structures. You recruited Nigerian youths to engage in identity theft, posing as foreigners to obtain financial gains. You thereby committed an offence under Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015 (As amended 2024) and Section 2(3)(d) of the Terrorism (Prevention, Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
Similarly, Nigerian defendant Chidera Ezechukwu was accused of laundering over twelve million naira linked to online dating scams. His charge read in part:
“That you, Chidera Ezechukwu, in May 2025, retained N12,750,318.63 in your UBA account which you reasonably ought to have known was proceeds of unlawful activity, to wit: online dating scam, thereby violating Section 14(1)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 as amended.”
Following their guilty pleas, the prosecution team comprising Anita Imo, S.I. Suleiman, H.U. Kofarnaisa, and B.M. Isah urged the court to convict the defendants and order the forfeiture of all items recovered from them.
Justice Bogoro sentenced the four Filipinos—Eriba, Samonte, Fabian, and Medina—to one year imprisonment each with an option of paying a N1,000,000 fine. He also directed the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service to deport them to their country within seven days after completing their sentences.
Among the Nigerian convicts, Gbenga Shittu Solomon received a one-year sentence with a N700,000 fine option. The others—Jotham, Olamilekan, Ezechukwu, David, Ifeanyi, and Oluchukwu—were each sentenced to one year in prison or a N500,000 fine.
“All items recovered from the convicts, including vehicles, phones, and money, are to be forfeited to the Federal Government,” Justice Bogoro ruled.
An EFCC official who spoke anonymously said, “This case sends a strong message that the EFCC remains committed to tackling cybercrime both locally and internationally. Cyberterrorism and online fraud won’t go unpunished.”
