Justice A. Isiaka of the Kaduna State High Court has convicted and sentenced Aliyu Hassan, Samuel Olamide, and Solomon Joseph Christian to prison for their involvement in separate counts of criminal impersonation and obtaining money under pretences.
The trio was brought before the court by the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following their arrest in the Agwa and Kudende areas of Kaduna. The arrests were the result of credible intelligence linking the men to various fraudulent activities carried out across social media platforms.
During the proceedings, the court heard how the defendants utilised fake identities to defraud unsuspecting victims. Hassan, acting under the alias “Ottaviani Loverules Giovanni,” claimed to be a Brazilian citizen on Facebook to defraud a victim of N90,000. Similarly, Olamide posed as an American named “Johnny” on TikTok to defraud Jackie Sanders, while Christian used the alias “Jenort” on Facebook to illicitly obtain $150.
Upon the reading of the charges, all three defendants entered a plea of “guilty.” Following the admission of guilt, the prosecution counsel, M.U. Gadaka urged the court to apply the full weight of the law, stating, “We pray the court to convict and sentence them accordingly based on their pleas and the evidence presented.”
In his judgment, Justice Isiaka sentenced each of the three men to five years’ imprisonment. However, the judge provided an option of a fine, noting that the convicts could instead pay N300,000 each to regain their freedom.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of several items used in or gained from the crimes to the Federal Government. “Aliyu Hassan is to forfeit the sum of N90,000 and a Samsung Galaxy Note 8,” the court ruled, adding that Olamide must forfeit a Samsung Galaxy S21, while Christian was ordered to surrender an iPhone 14 Pro and the $150 in proceeds.
