A Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, has sentenced a self-acclaimed gospel singer, Moses Otitoju, and eight other individuals to various jail terms over their involvement in cybercrime, conspiracy, and misappropriation of funds.
The convicts were prosecuted by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC and arraigned on charges bordering on cyber-related offences. The court found them guilty after reviewing evidence presented by the anti-graft agency.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the 31-year-old Otitoju, who hails from Iyamoye in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, was sentenced to six months imprisonment by Justice Abimbola Awogboro. The court ruled that he would serve the sentence without the option of a fine.
Investigations revealed that Otitoju retained over N8.4 million in his account, believed to be proceeds of unlawful activities. His charge partly read that between October 2024 and December 2025, he knowingly retained the sum of N8,404,339 in his account, being proceeds from criminal conduct, thereby violating provisions of the EFCC Act of 2004.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of his Tecno 19 phone to the Federal Government.
In a similar judgment, another convict, Adeoye Joseph, from Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State, was sentenced to eight months imprisonment without an option of a fine. The court also ordered the forfeiture of \$220, an iPhone 13, and a Tecno Pop 9 device recovered from him.
Abubakar Abdulmalik, another defendant, was handed a six-month jail term and his iPhone 16 and Samsung S10 devices were also forfeited to the government.
The EFCC legal team, comprising Aliyu Adebayo, Sesan Ola, Rashidat Alao, and Mustapha Kaigama, successfully prosecuted the cases, tendering key evidence including confessional statements, recovered sums, and electronic exhibits, all of which were admitted by the court.
In a related case, Justices Haleema Saleeman and Sulaiman Akanbi of the Kwara State High Court convicted five other individuals on similar charges. They include Emeka Achi, Isaac Oluwafemi, Afolabi Olatoye, Zubeiru Zubeiru Junior, and Abdulkadir Taofeek.
Justice Sulaiman Akanbi sentenced Abdulkadir to three years imprisonment with an option of N500,000 fine. He also ordered the forfeiture of N800,000, an iPhone 14 Pro Max, and a Samsung phone to the Federal Government.
Justice Haleema Saleeman handed a six-month sentence each to Emeka, Isaac, and Afolabi, giving them the option of a N100,000 fine. Emeka was further ordered to refund N3.35 million within three months and report to the EFCC with his parents every two weeks until the full amount is recovered.
The EFCC reaffirmed its commitment to ridding Nigeria of internet fraud and other economic crimes, warning that no one is above the law, regardless of social or religious status.
