Justice A.A. Isiaka of the Kaduna State High Court, Kaduna on Monday convicted and sentenced one Ajayi AbdulHafeez Ezekiel (aka Kelvin Robert), manager to popular TikTok Musician, Shalipopi, and three others to two years imprisonment each for impersonation and internet fraud.
The offences are contrary to and punishable under Section 142(1) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law l, 2017.
The other convicts are Boaz Bondon Lally (aka Boaz Jefferson Herron), Shereef Idowu Usman (aka Marcus James), and Repang Isaac Kwasau (aka Luna Shop).
In a message via its Twitter handle, the anti-graft agency said the convicts were arrested in a sting operation after intelligence had linked them to various fraudulent internet-related activities.
According to EFCC, an investigation revealed that they assumed the identities of real and fictitious individuals to defraud victims of their hard-earned money.
Upon arraignment, the defendants pleaded guilty to the charges. Consequently, the prosecution counsel, E.K Garba, urged the court to convict them accordingly.
Justice Isiaka thereafter convicted and sentenced them to two years imprisonment with the option of N150,000 fine each.
The court further ordered the forfeiture of items used in perpetrating the crime as well as proceeds of crime to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
It will be recalled that a Sharia court sitting in Kaduna on June 22, 2023, had earlier convicted and sentenced the popular TikTok music star and artist, Crown Uzama, professionally known as Shallipopi, to two years imprisonment for internet fraud.
Shallipoppi was charged, along with five others, to court by the Kaduna zonal command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a one-count case of criminal impersonation.
