A Lagos-based man, Salami Ponmile Bassit, has been sentenced to three months imprisonment for internet fraud by Justice D.I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi. The judgment was delivered on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.
Bassit was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a one-count charge of cybercrime. The charge alleged that:
“On or about 10th August 2025 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, you fraudulently impersonated one 'Katia Banks', a white woman from the United States of America on Facebook Mobile Application with intent to gain advantage for yourself, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 22(2)(b) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention Etc) Act, 2015.”
During proceedings, EFCC operative Ilyasu Dauda explained that the defendant impersonated a foreign woman online to defraud unsuspecting victims and sent pornographic images as part of his scam. An iPhone 16, allegedly used to perpetrate the fraud, was recovered from him during investigation.
Prosecution counsel M. S. Yabo tendered the defendant’s extra-judicial statement, the recovered iPhone 16, and a forensic investigation document printed from the device. Bassit’s lawyer raised no objection, and the court admitted the documents as evidence.
After considering the guilty plea and evidence, Justice Dipeolu found Bassit guilty and sentenced him to three months imprisonment, with the option of paying a N2 million fine. The Judge also ordered the forfeiture of the iPhone to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Bassit’s troubles began when he was arrested on July 31, 2025, alongside others, at Lekki Garden Horizon Height, Lagos, during an EFCC sting operation following intelligence on internet fraud activities in the area.
This case highlights the EFCC’s continued commitment to combating cybercrime in Nigeria, particularly among individuals exploiting social media platforms to defraud unsuspecting victims.
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