Lagos Court Sentences Man to Three Months for Internet Fraud

Justice D.I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, convicted and sentenced Salami Ponmile Bassit to three months imprisonment for internet fraud. Bassit was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a one-count charge of cybercrime.

Bassit was found guilty of impersonating “Katia Banks,” a white woman from the United States, on the Facebook mobile app on or about August 10, 2025, with intent to gain advantage for himself, a violation of Section 22(2)(b) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015. He pleaded guilty when charged.

During the trial, EFCC operative Ilyasu Dauda testified that Bassit used the alias of a white female to scam victims online and sent pornographic images to them. An iPhone 16 was recovered from Bassit and tendered as evidence along with his extra-judicial statement and forensic investigation documents. The court admitted all evidence without objection from the defense.

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Bassit’s lawyer urged leniency, highlighting that he was a first-time offender. Justice Dipeolu sentenced him to three months in prison, with an option to pay a fine of N2 million. The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the recovered iPhone to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Bassit was arrested on July 31, 2025, during an EFCC sting operation at Lekki Garden Horizon Height, Lagos, following intelligence about internet fraud activities in the area.

This sentencing is part of ongoing EFCC efforts to clamp down on internet fraud in Lagos, which has seen multiple arrests and convictions this year, with several other individuals charged for similar impersonation and cyber fraud offenses.