By TSJ Reporter
A 20-year-old undergraduate, Ganiyu Alabi, has been sentenced to one year and two months in prison for his involvement in a Facebook love scam. The verdict was handed down by Justice Rahman Oshodi at the Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos on Wednesday.
Alabi, who had pleaded guilty to possession of fraudulent documents, was arrested during a sting operation in Lekki, Lagos, in April. He had posed as a white female named “Leana Decker” to deceive unsuspecting victims, using the identity to carry out a dating scam.
In his confession, Alabi admitted to using Facebook to target victims and defraud them of approximately $1,000. Despite his admission, the court was skeptical about his remorsefulness. Justice Oshodi criticized Alabi for lying to the court, stating that he had initially claimed to have started his fraudulent activities in 2024, although his confessional statement indicated he began in 2023.
As part of his sentence, Alabi will serve his prison term at Ikoyi Prison. Alternatively, he could pay a fine of N1 million. The court also ordered that he serve two months of community service with the Lagos State Community Service unit and submit a report on his activities at the end. In addition, Alabi will be officially registered as an offender.
The prosecution, led by Ahmad Usman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), presented evidence including bundles of fraudulent documents found in Alabi’s possession. These documents were used to perpetrate the scam. The EFCC also confirmed that Alabi had reimbursed N500,000 to the agency as part of his restitution.
Alabi’s actions violated Section 320 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, which criminalizes internet fraud and the possession of fraudulent documents.
