By Nkechi Eze
A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has sentenced one Farouq Olayinka Aremu to six months’ imprisonment for engaging in internet fraud. The conviction was secured by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, before Justice D.I. Dipeolu.
According to a statement issued by the EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, Aremu was arraigned on a one-count charge bordering on cybercrime, to which he pleaded guilty.
The charge read: “That you, Faruq Olayinka Aremu, sometime in 2025, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, fraudulently held out yourself on Instagram as @jeoglenn bearing the name Jeo Glenn, a white man, with intent to gain advantage for yourself and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22 (3) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition etc.) Act 2015.”
Following his plea, the prosecution counsel, A.A. Usman, called EFCC operative Muhammad Nuhu to review the facts of the case. Nuhu told the court that Aremu was arrested on May 16, 2025, in the Command, Ipaja area of Lagos following actionable intelligence on the activities of a cybercrime syndicate.
“The group specializes in defrauding unsuspecting internet users, particularly through romance scams on social media,” Nuhu testified. He said Aremu confessed to having received €500 from his fraudulent operations, but further investigations revealed total illicit gains amounting to €1,100.
Nuhu added that Aremu operated under the alias “Jeoglann” on Instagram and used email addresses mikejeoglann@gmail.com and technologylogistics@gmail.com for his schemes. An iPhone 12 Pro, an HP laptop, and several fraudulent documents were recovered during the investigation.
The EFCC also recovered a sum of N600,000 from the defendant through a bank draft as part of restitution.
The prosecution thereafter tendered the defendant’s extrajudicial statement, the recovered iPhone 15 Pro (corrected version), forensic analysis documents, and other exhibits, all of which were admitted by the court.
Aremu’s defence counsel, Nneka Nkama, appealed for leniency, urging the court to consider his remorse and status as a first-time offender.
In her judgment, Justice Dipeolu convicted and sentenced Aremu to six months’ imprisonment with an option of a N1 million fine. The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the iPhone Pro, the HP laptop, and the sum of N600,000 to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
