By Nkechi Eze
A Kaduna State High Court has convicted and sentenced an internet fraudster, Muhammad Kabiru, to two years imprisonment for criminal impersonation.
Justice M. J. Zubairu delivered the ruling on Tuesday, 19 August 2025, after Kabiru pleaded guilty to a one-count charge brought against him by the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to a statement issued by the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, Kabiru had posed as American actress Jennifer Aniston on the social media platform Telegram in an attempt to lure unsuspecting victims into a romantic scam. The offence, which occurred in July 2025, contravenes Section 142(1) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.
Following his guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, M. U. Gadaka, urged the court to convict and sentence the defendant in line with the applicable laws. Justice Zubairu thereafter sentenced Kabiru to two years imprisonment with an option of a N200,000 fine.
In addition to the custodial sentence, the court ordered the forfeiture of Kabiru’s iPhone 14 Pro to the federal government.
The EFCC noted that Kabiru was among a number of suspects arrested in Kaduna metropolis following intelligence reports linking them to various forms of internet fraud.
