A Federal High Court and two Kwara State High Courts in Ilorin have convicted a self-proclaimed gospel singer and eight other individuals for offences related to cybercrime, conspiracy, and misappropriation of funds.
The convictions followed separate prosecutions by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Otitoju Esan, a 31-year-old gospel artiste, was sentenced to six months imprisonment without the option of a fine by Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court, Ilorin.
Esan, who described himself as a popular gospel performer at events such as weddings, naming ceremonies, and funerals in Lokoja, Kogi State, was found guilty of retaining over N8.4 million in his bank account, funds identified as proceeds of unlawful activities.
According to the charge, Esan, between October 2024 and December 2025, held N8,404,339 in his UBA account, an amount linked to criminal conduct. This act contravenes Section 17(a) and (b) of the EFCC Act, 2004, under which he was prosecuted.
Esan was sentenced alongside three others—Ayodele Daisi, Adeoye Joseph, and Abubakar Abdulmalik—who faced similar charges. Ayodele was found guilty of retaining N243,750 in his UBA account and was sentenced to eight months imprisonment without an option of a fine. His Techno 19 mobile phone was also ordered forfeited to the federal government.
Adeoye received an eight-month prison term without an option of fine. He was also ordered to forfeit $220, an iPhone 13, and a Techno Pop 9 to the federal government. Abubakar was handed a six-month sentence and directed to forfeit his iPhone 16 and Samsung S10 devices.
Prosecuting counsel from the EFCC—Aliyu Adebayo, Sesan Ola, Rashidat Alao, and Mustapha Kaigama—presented statements, exhibits, and recovered sums as restitution. These were admitted as evidence by the courts.
In a related case, Justices Haleema Saleeman and Sulaiman Akanbi of the Kwara State High Court also convicted five individuals—Emeka Achi, Isaac Oluwafemi, Afolabi Olatoye, Zubeiru Junior, and Abdulkadir Taofeek—on similar charges involving cybercrime and fund misappropriation.
Justice Akanbi sentenced Abdulkadir to three years imprisonment with an option of a N500,000 fine. The court also ordered the forfeiture of N800,000, an iPhone 14 Pro Max, and a Samsung phone to the federal government.
Justice Saleeman sentenced Emeka, Isaac, and Afolabi to six months imprisonment each with a fine of N100,000. Emeka was further directed to refund N3.35 million within three months and to report to the EFCC fortnightly in the company of his parents until full repayment is made.
