Lagos Court Sends Man to Prison Over $2,000 Celebrity Scam
By Exponent News Akure | July 3, 2025
A Lagos-based man, Olalere Kehinde Barnabas, has been sentenced to two years in prison by Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, after being found guilty of cybercrime involving $2,000 obtained through online impersonation.
Olalere, who posed as American celebrity Joe Bonamassa to defraud unsuspecting victims on Facebook and Instagram, was convicted after pleading guilty to a one-count charge brought against him by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to EFCC prosecutor T.J. Banjo, Olalere was arrested on June 24, 2025, at Favoured Height Estate in Lekki, Lagos. The Commission’s investigating officer, Nwike Fortune, told the court that the defendant confessed to the fraud and admitted collecting $2,000 (approximately ₦1.8 million) from his victims in 2023.
The EFCC recovered an iPhone 14 used in the fraudulent activities and a ₦900,000 GTBank manager’s cheque submitted by the convict as partial restitution.
During sentencing, Justice Owoeye stated:
“The defendant, having admitted to the offence and how it was committed, and deriving benefits from it, is hereby convicted as charged.”
Despite pleas for leniency by his counsel, Fabian Nwaoforji, who described him as a first-time offender with a promise to reform, the court handed Olalere a two-year prison sentence with an option of a ₦350,000 fine.
In addition, the court ordered the forfeiture of his iPhone and the ₦900,000 cheque to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
