Three jailed, fined for Facebook, TikTok fraud in Kaduna

The Kaduna State High Court has convicted and sentenced three persons to jail for internet fraud carried out via Facebook and TikTok in Kaduna State. 

Aliyu Hassan, Samuel Olamide, and Solomon Joseph Christian were found guilty of separate one-count charges bordering on criminal impersonation and obtaining by false pretence. 

The convictions were disclosed Tuesday, March 17, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission via its verified X account. 

The anti-graft agency said its Kaduna Zonal Directorate secured the convictions before Justice A. Isiaka. 

According to the statement, Hassan, also known as Ottaviani Loverules Giovanni, impersonated a Brazilian citizen on Facebook on February 9, 2026, and defrauded a victim, Kerry, of N90,000. 
 

Olamide, alias Johnny, impersonated a United States citizen on TikTok on the same date and defrauded an American, identified as Jackie Sanders. 
 

Similarly, Christian, also known as Jenort, impersonated another individual on Facebook in February 2026 and obtained $150 from his victim. 
 

The EFCC said the offences contravened Section 142(1) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017. 

It added that the defendants pleaded guilty, prompting the prosecution counsel, M.U. Gadaka, to urge the court to convict and sentence them accordingly. 

Justice Isiaka subsequently sentenced each of the convicts to five years’ imprisonment, with an option of a N300,000 fine. 

The court also ordered the forfeiture of items recovered from them to the Federal Government. Hassan forfeited N90,000 and a Samsung Galaxy Note 8 used in committing the offence; Olamide forfeited a Samsung Galaxy S21; while Christian forfeited an iPhone 14 Pro and $150, identified as proceeds of the crime. 

The EFCC said the convicts were arrested in the Agwa/Kudende area of Kaduna following credible intelligence linking them to fraudulent internet activities.