LAGOS, NIGERIA — Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi has sentenced Adenuga Elijah Oluwadamilare, to one year imprisonment for internet fraud, with an option of a ₦200,000 fine.
Elijah, 49, was convicted on Friday, May 30, 2025, following his arraignment by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a one-count charge of impersonation and cybercrime.
The charge reads:
“That you, ADENUGA ELIJAH OLUWADAMILARE, on November 12, 2024, in Lagos, fraudulently held out yourself on Google as Pearl Xavier, with intent to gain advantage for yourself, thereby committing an offence under Section 22 of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015.”
Elijah pleaded guilty to the charge. Prosecution counsel Abdulhamid L. Tukur presented Adams Adze, an EFCC operative, to review the case facts.
According to Adze, Elijah was arrested in November 2024 in the Lekki area following intelligence on a syndicate of internet scammers. An iPhone 12 Pro Max and an HP laptop were seized during the arrest. Elijah confessed to operating a dating scam under the alias “Pearl Xavier,” from which he earned $200.
He also made ₦200,000 in restitution via a bank draft, which was submitted as evidence alongside his electronic devices and a forensic printout.
The court admitted all materials as exhibits, and Elijah pleaded for leniency, stating:
“I have started a business and enrolled in a polytechnic to continue my education.”
Justice Bogoro convicted him and handed down a one-year sentence, allowing an option of fine. The court also ordered the forfeiture of Elijah’s phone, laptop, and the bank draft to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
