Court Convicts ‘Yahoo Boys’ Over Facebook Impersonation, Fraud

The Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes, Commission, EFCC, has secured the conviction of Emmanuel Ogbu (aka Ewelina Ruminska), Cornelius Oyathekhua (aka Collins Fredrick), Daniel Emmanuel (aka Bob Matson) and Timmy Ebenezer before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court on separate one count charge bordering on internet fraud. 

The charge against Cornelius Oyathekhua reads, “Cornelius Oyathekhua (aka Collins Fredrick) Male, sometime in May 2023 in Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court impersonated one Collins Fredrick (an American Military Personnel) on Facebook (an online social media application) and in such assumed character cheated one Amander Lawler of the sum of 300 Dollars (Three Hundred Dollars) when you calmed to be in a romantic relationship with her which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 308 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017 and punishable under Section 309 of the same Law”.

For Daniel Emmanuel, the charge reads, “Daniel Emmanuel (aka Bob Matson) sometime in June 2023 in Kaduna within the judicial division of the High Court with intent to defraud falsely presented yourself as one Bob Matson, United States of America (USA) citizen and in such assumed character cheated unsuspecting victims the sum of 200 Dollars (Two Hundred Dollars) on Instagram and you thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 142 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law 2017 and punishable under the same law”.

The defendants who were arrested in different locations in Kaduna, pleaded guilty to the charges preferred against them. Consequently, the prosecuting counsel, E.K. Garba, M.E Eimonye, Y.J Matiyak, and M.U Gadaka, urged the court to convict them accordingly.

Justice Khobo convicted them and sentenced them to 2 years imprisonment or a fine of N 150,000 each. They are to further forfeit all proceeds of crime and devices recovered from them to the Federal Government of Nigeria.