By Ebenezer Mabinuola
In a major legal victory for Nigeria’s anti-cybercrime efforts, the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has sentenced twelve Filipino nationals to one year in prison each after they were found guilty of cyber-terrorism and internet fraud.
Presiding Judge Justice Yellin Bogoro delivered the ruling on Friday, May 23, following the defendants’ guilty pleas. The convicted individuals—Anjeanette Topacio, Gladys Joy Mag-Iba, Jean Calago, Shairah Mae Reyes, Roseann Gonzales, Lari Jane Tayag, Mary Grace De La Cruz, Krystel Aquilesca, Jonilyn Agulto, Paizza Camara, Vivian Pionella, and Jonalyn Mendoza—were arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Lagos.
Prosecutors described the syndicate as part of a transnational fraud network that employed local Nigerian youths to carry out identity theft and online scams. The court heard that Anjeanette Topacio played a key role in orchestrating operations designed to undermine Nigeria’s economic stability, allegedly recruiting locals to impersonate foreign nationals in order to defraud victims abroad.
One of the convicts, Shairah Mae Reyes, was reportedly caught with incriminating messages on Telegram in which she posed as a UK-based woman to carry out romance scams targeting unsuspecting victims.
All twelve pleaded guilty during arraignment, prompting EFCC prosecution counsels N.K. Ukoha and H.U. Kofarnaisa to urge the court to adopt the plea bargain agreement reached with the suspects.
In addition to the prison sentence, Justice Bogoro imposed a fine of one million naira on each convict. He further ordered that all electronic devices used in the commission of the crimes be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The judge also directed the Nigeria Immigration Service, led by Comptroller-General Kemi Nanna Nandap, to oversee the deportation of the convicts within seven days of the completion of their prison terms.
The conviction is being hailed as a significant stride in Nigeria’s escalating fight against cybercrime. Analysts say it sends a strong message to international fraud rings that the country’s digital borders are being more aggressively protected.
