Yahoo Boy, 21, gets sentenced to a year in jail

Ifeanyi Egbuwu, 21, who is on trial for allegedly committing internet fraud, testified that he buried his father with money stolen via his Yahoo Yahoo scam.

On August 2, 2022, Egbuwu was apprehended by agents from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission during a search on some online scammers located at 42, Ola Williams Street, Kay Farm Estate, Iju, Lagos State. The culprit, who said he just graduated from Oregun Senior High, was taken into custody, but there was nothing found on him. However, the EFCC was able to retrieve counterfeit papers after obtaining entry to his email at omohhenry79@gmail.

Then he was taken to the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, and brought before Magistrate R.A. Oshodi.

The 21-year-old admitted to the anti-graft commission that he made N500,000 from his illegal operations and that he used part of the money to buy an iPhone X and pay for his father’s burial.

The defendant was found guilty of possession of fake papers after entering a guilty plea.

“When asked under oath, the defendant admitted that he benefited N500,000 from his crime. He said that he used N230,000 out of the N500,000 to buy an iPhone X. He also said that he used the proceeds of his crime to buy clothes and for his father’s burial. In criminal law, a defendant’s guilty plea is tantamount to admission of guilt.

Mr Ifeanyi Favour Egbuwu, I’ve listened to your compassionate plea for mercy. I’m shocked that at the age of 21, you will venture into fraudulent activities. You confessed that you spent over seven days in the commission’s custody. I’m sure that you must have learnt a lesson and do understand the impact of being in custody. It deprives you of your liberties.

I see that you have expressed remorse and I’m persuaded by the submission of your counsel only to the extent that you are a first-time offender. But I will not allow you to keep any kobo from your criminal proceeds. It is for this reason that I sentence you to imprisonment for one-year with an option of fine in the sum of N300,000 to be paid at the registry of the High Court of Lagos State with 100 hours of community service at the Maximum Custodial Centre, Kirikiri.”

Since he falsely claimed to be an apprentice at a barbershop before committing fraud, the court said that part of his community service would include actually barbering people’s hair since he said to be an apprentice at a barbing salon before he ventured into fraud.