Edo : Courts sentence another 34 ‘Yahoo Boys’ to prison

Less than a month after dozens of internet fraudsters commonly known as Yahoo Boys were sentenced in Benin City, the Edo State High Court has again handed down jail terms to 34 more individuals involved in online scams.

Justices A.N. Erhabor and W.I. Aziegbemhin presided over the cases at the Edo State High Court in Benin City, where the convictions and sentences were delivered between May 29 and June 4, 2025.

In a statement released Thursday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the anti-graft agency named the convicted persons as: “Ogbeide Osayande Bright, George Micheal, Asazobro Kindness, Asamonye Davis Chibudion, Efosa Imasuen, Fortune Innocent, Owah Eloho, Osifo Bright, Oselunosen Ojeh Oziegbe, Igbinogie Esemude Eloghosa, Abijade Jeffery, Godwin Osayowanbor, Okon Bassey Benjamin, Owie Success Etinosa, Emmanuel Chinedu Ariwa, Ogbonna Precious, Agboniroho Promise, Ogbonna Michael, Sunday Onyekachi, Igbinogie Esenuede Amos, Favour Abdul, and Efe Louis Ediyeri.

“Others are: Benson Odion Kelly, Benson Ovbokhan Kelly, Oliver Collins Chijoke, Odia Aisosa, Arinze Michael, Brainson Joseph Bassey, Paul Eghosa Oreavbiere, Marvelous Imasuen, Adams Maxwell Eloghosa, Omorodion Ayomide, Owenaze Efe Wealth and Nathaniel Ihaza.”

According to the commission, the suspects were charged individually on one-count charges, ranging from obtaining by false pretence to retention of proceeds of crime and possession of fraudulent documents.

One of the charges read:”That you Ogbeide Osayande Bright (m) on or about the 15th of May, 2025 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did have in your possession, documents which you knew or ought to have known contained false pretence, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 6 and 8 (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”

The defendants were said to have all pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them in court. Following their pleas, prosecution counsel F.A Jirbo, I.M Elodi, I.K Agwai, K.Y Bello, Ibrahim Al-Amin, M.S Dahiru, Salihu Ahmed, Bala Rabah and Faisal Ibrahim urged the court to convict and sentence them accordingly. Defence lawyers, however, pleaded for leniency, saying their clients were remorseful.

“Justice Erhabor convicted and sentenced Ogbeide Osayabde Bright, George Micheal, Asazobro Kindness, Igbinogie Esemude Eloghosa, Abijade Jeffery, Godwin Osayowonbo, Okon Bassey Benjamin, Owie Success Etinosa, Emmanuel Chinedu Ariwa, Ogbonna Precious, Agboniroho Promise, Benson Ovbokhan Kelly, Ogbonna Michael, Sunday Onyekachi, Igbinogie Esenuede Amos, Efe Louis Ediyeri, Benson Odion Kelly, Oliver Collins, Arinze Michael, Brainson Joseph Bassey, Paul Eghosa Oreavbiere, Marvelous Imasuen, Adam’s Maxwell Eloghosa, Omorodion Ayomide, Owenaze Efe Wealth and Nathaniel Ihaza to two years imprisonment, each or to pay N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) fine respectively.

“Justice W.I. Aziegbemhin convicted and sentenced Asamonye Davis Chibudion, Efosa Imasuen, Fortune Innocent, Owah Eloho, Osifo Bright, Oselunosen Ojeh Oziegbe, Favour Abdul, and Odia Aisosa to two years imprisonment each or to pay N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) fine respectively.

“In addition to their sentences, all the convicts forfeited their phones, computers and money found in their respective bank accounts to the Federal Government of Nigeria and undertook in writing to be of good behaviour henceforth.”

The EFCC said the convictions followed a sting operation by its Benin Zonal Directorate, which acted on intelligence linking the individuals to internet fraud. The suspects were arrested, prosecuted, and have now begun serving their respective sentences.