Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, June 13, 2025, convicted and sentenced four Filipino nationals and eight Nigerians for their involvement in cyber-terrorism and internet fraud.
The convicted Filipinos — Reyna Mae Eriba, Chyna Samonte, Zara Fabian, and Dominique Medina — were among 729 suspects arrested during a massive raid on a cybercrime syndicate operating out of Oyin Jolayemi Street, Lagos, in December 2024. They were arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on charges bordering on cyber-terrorism.
The EFCC also arraigned eight Nigerians: Chidera Ezechukwu, Favour Oluchukwu, Egwenum Ifeanyi, David Okezie, Gbenga Shittu Solomon, Ibraheem Olamilekan, Chinecherem Michael, and Oghomienor Jotham, on various counts of internet fraud.
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All twelve defendants pleaded guilty to the charges when they were read before the court.
One of the charges against Chyna Samonte read:
“That you, Chyna Samonte, sometime in December 2024 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable 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 intent to gain financial advantage for yourselves, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended 2024), and Section 2(3)(d) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
Similarly, one of the charges against Chidera Ezechukwu stated that he retained N12,750,318.63 in a UBA account, knowing it was proceeds from an online dating scam — an offence contrary to Section 14(1)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 (as amended).
After considering the guilty pleas and the evidence presented, Justice Bogoro convicted all twelve individuals and granted the EFCC’s prayers for forfeiture of all exhibits recovered from the convicts.
The court sentenced the four Filipinos — Eriba, Samonte, Fabian, and Medina — to one year imprisonment each, with an option of a N1,000,000 fine. The judge further ordered the Nigeria Immigration Service to deport them to their country of origin within seven days of completing their sentences.
Among the Nigerian convicts, Gbenga Shittu Solomon received a one-year sentence or an option of a N700,000 fine. The remaining seven Nigerians — Ezechukwu, Oluchukwu, Ifeanyi, Okezie, Michael, Olamilekan, and Jotham — were each sentenced to one year in prison or a fine of N500,000.
In addition, the court ordered that all vehicles, electronic devices, cash, and other items recovered from the convicts be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The EFCC’s prosecution team was led by counsels Anita Imo, S.I. Suleiman, H.U. Kofarnaisa, and B.M. Isah.
This judgment marks another milestone in Nigeria’s ongoing clampdown on cybercriminal networks and reaffirms the judiciary’s resolve to combat cyber-related offences with the full force of the law.
