Maiduguri, Borno State — On Tuesday, 17 June 2025, Justice K. Dagat of the Federal High Court Maiduguri sentenced Samuel Okoro and Lucky Dauda to eight years imprisonment each for money laundering and impersonation.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Maiduguri Zonal Directorate arraigned the defendants on two separate counts. Okoro was charged with possession of $4,000 worth of Cash App and gift cards from foreign nationals, which he converted to approximately N5 million and deposited into his First Bank account between 2022 and 2024. He was found to have known or ought to have known the funds were proceeds of fraud, violating Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.
Dauda was charged with possession of $20,615 received through Cash App, Google Play, Visa, Walmart, PayPal, and gift cards deposited into his Guaranty Trust Bank account from 2020 to 2024, similarly linked to fraudulent activities.
Both defendants pleaded guilty when charges were read in court.
Prosecution counsel Abdulmalik D. Aliyu urged the court to convict them, while defense lawyers O. C Nwankwo and A. Musa requested leniency.
Justice Dagat sentenced both Okoro and Dauda to four years imprisonment on each count, with an option to pay N100,000 per count. The judge also ordered the forfeiture of all proceeds, including an iPhone 15 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy A34, and Samsung Galaxy S smartphones to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The convictions followed arrests made in Maiduguri based on credible intelligence regarding the suspects’ involvement in fraudulent internet schemes.
