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Court jails four Filipinos, eight Nigerians for cyber-terrorism, internet fraud
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Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, June 13, 2025, convicted and sentenced four Filipino nationals and eight Nigerians for their involvement in cyber-terrorism and internet fraud.
The Filipinos were among the 729 persons arrested in December 2024 at a cybercrime hub located on Oyin Jolayemi Street, Lagos, in a large-scale crackdown on a Ponzi and cyber-terrorism syndicate.
The convicted Filipinos are Reyna Mae Eriba, Chyna Samonte, Zara Fabian, and Dominique Medina. The Nigerian convicts include Chidera Ezechukwu, Favour Oluchukwu, Egwenum Ifeanyi, David Okezie, Gbenga Shittu Solomon, Ibraheem Olamilekan, Chinecherem Michael, and Oghomienor Jotham.
The suspects were arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on separate charges of cyber-terrorism, internet fraud, and money laundering. All defendants pleaded guilty to the charges when read before the court.
One of the charges read against Chyna Samonte stated that she, in December 2024, “willfully accessed computer systems with the intent to destabilize Nigeria’s economic and social structures by employing Nigerian youths for identity theft under the guise of foreign nationals,” in violation of Section 18 of the Cybercrimes Act (2015, as amended in 2024) and Section 2(3)(d) of the Terrorism (Prevention, Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Another charge against Nigerian convict Chidera Ezechukwu detailed that he retained ₦12.75 million in a UBA account, suspected to be proceeds from an online dating scam—an offence under the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004.
Justice Bogoro, having found all 12 individuals guilty, ruled in favor of the prosecution’s request—led by EFCC counsels Anita Imo, S.I. Suleiman, H.U. Kofarnaisa, and B.M. Isah—that all exhibits, including cash, vehicles, electronic devices, and other items, be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The sentences are as follows: Reyna Mae Eriba, Chyna Samonte, Zara Fabian, and Dominique Medina were each sentenced to one year imprisonment and a fine of ₦1,000,000.
The court also directed the Comptroller-General of Immigration to deport them to the Philippines within seven days after completing their prison terms.
Gbenga Shittu Solomon was sentenced to one year imprisonment or an option of ₦700,000 fine.
Oghomienor Jotham, Chinecherem Michael, Ibraheem Olamilekan, Chidera Ezechukwu, David Okezie, Egwenum Ifeanyi, and Favour Oluchukwu each received one year imprisonment or an option of ₦500,000 fine.
The judgment marks one of the largest single-day convictions related to cybercrime in Nigeria, underscoring the government’s renewed push against cyber-terrorism and digital financial fraud.
A helicopter crash in Saudi Arabia killed 14 Saudi citizens on Sunday, the kingdom’s official press agency reported, adding that the aircraft belonged to state oil giant Aramco.
The Saudi Press Agency, citing an official at the energy ministry, reported the helicopter crashed in Ras Tanura in the country’s east.
“The accident claimed the lives of all 14 passengers, all Saudi citizens,” the agency said, adding that an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the crash.
Aramco says it operates more than 60 aircraft, including helicopters serving more than 300 heliports in Saudi Arabia, making it one of the largest corporate fleets in the region.
The deadly accident comes as oil-rich Gulf nations seek to ramp up their output following Iranian attacks and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the export of oil and gas.
The Gulf monarchy did not indicate the incident was in any way connected to a hostile attack.
During the Middle East war, Iranian attacks had targeted energy facilities in the Gulf.
Ras Tanura is home to one of the largest refineries in the Middle East, with a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day, and is critical to Saudi Arabia’s energy sector.
The refinery has been targeted several times, notably during an Iranian drone attack at the beginning of the conflict, which caused a fire and forced a partial shutdown.
Riyadh said in April that the weeks-long attacks had disrupted several production operations at key facilities, with refineries in Ras Tanura as well as Jubail, Yanbu and Riyadh targeted.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s leading crude exporter, produces a little over 10 million bpd.
AFP
An Improvised Explosive Device, IED, planted by alleged bandits along the Kurawa–Sabon Birni road in Sokoto State on Sunday hit a vehicle, killing one person and injuring many passengers.
The incident raised fresh concerns over the growing use of explosive devices by criminal groups operating in parts of the North-West.
The vehicle was said to be conveying passengers from surrounding communities to Sabon Birni when it ran over the explosive device, triggering a blast that severely damaged the vehicle and left several occupants injured.
A security analyst based in the area, Bashir Guyawa, disclosed the incident in a post on his Facebook page.
Guyawa described the incident as another reminder of the persistent security challenges confronting communities along the border axis.
He said the vehicle was on a routine passenger trip when the explosion occurred.
“The vehicle was conveying passengers early this morning on their way to Sabon Birni when the unfortunate incident happened,” he wrote.
Twelve people were injured in a clash between farmers from Larabar Gadan Sarki and herders from the communities of Majawa and Karade in Warawa Local Government Area of Kano State.
The chairman of Warawa Local Government, Lamido Sunusi Ahmad, disclosed this in a statement issued by his media aide, Musleem Garindau.
The statement said the council chairman visited the injured victims at Wudil General Hospital and directed that the local government should cover the cost of their treatment until they had fully recovered.
He also commended community leaders and security personnel for their swift intervention, noting that calm had been restored to the affected communities.
The chairman urged residents to refrain from spreading rumours or engaging in any act capable of escalating tensions and instead embrace dialogue to promote peaceful coexistence.
Speaking further, the Vice Chairman of Warawa Local Government, Hon. Ibrahim Abdu Madari, explained that the conflict involved residents of the communities, all of whom are indigenous to the area.
He said reports indicated that the violence began after a cow strayed into a farmer’s field and ate some crops. The farmer allegedly beat the cow, prompting its owner to assault the farmer, and the disagreement later escalated into a wider clash.
He also reiterated his appeal to residents to live peacefully and resolve disputes through dialogue and mutual understanding.
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