A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced twelve Filipino women to one year imprisonment each for their involvement in cyber-terrorism and internet fraud.
Justice Yellin Bogoro handed down the judgement on Friday, May 23, 2025, after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned the defendants on separate charges bordering on possession of fraudulent documents and cybercrime.
The convicts are: Anjeanette Topacio, Gladys Joy Mag-Iba, Jean Calago, Shairah Mae Reyes, Roseann Gonzales, Lari Jane Tayag, Mary Grace De La Cruz, Krystel Aquilesca, Jonilyn Agulto, Paizza Camara, Vivian Pionella, and Jonalyn Mendoza.
According to the EFCC, the offences were committed in December 2024 in Lagos, with the convicts using various computer systems and communication platforms to perpetrate cyber-terrorism and defraud unsuspecting victims.
One of the charges stated that Topacio willfully accessed computer systems in a manner intended to destabilise Nigeria’s economic and social structure by employing local youths for identity theft operations.
Another charge revealed how Reyes was found in possession of fraudulent documents on Telegram, falsely posing as a UK-based woman to defraud individuals under false pretences.
All twelve defendants pleaded guilty to the charges when read before the court.
Following their guilty pleas, prosecution counsel N.K. Ukoha and H.U. Kofarnaisa urged the court to convict them in line with the terms of their plea bargain with the Commission.
Justice Bogoro sentenced each of the convicts to one year imprisonment with an option of N1 million fine.
He further ordered the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mrs. Kemi Nanna Nandap, to ensure their repatriation to the Philippines within seven days of completing their jail terms.
Additionally, all devices recovered from the convicts during investigation were ordered forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
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