Date: 2020-08-20

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has secured the conviction of an internet fraudster, and FBI suspect, Akinyemi Festus.

The anti-corruption agency said this in a statement by its Head of Media and Publicity, Mr Dele Oyewale.

The statement noted that Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja convicted and sentenced Festus to two years imprisonment for internet fraud.

The convict was prosecuted by the Ilorin Zonal office of EFCC on two counts of internet fraud.

He was also said to be on the wanted list of the Federal Bureau of Investigations of the United States Department of Justice.

The FBI, in a petition dated July 10, 2019, had appealed to the Ilorin Zonal office of the commission to ensure the arrest and prosecution of Festus for his roles in a multi-million naira international scam.

One of the charges read, “That you Abiona Akinyemi Festus (Ella Jones), sometime between January 2011 and May 2016 at Lagos, by means of fraudulent trick used the email address

"Obtained the sum of N5, 950, 000 from retirement accounts, held by an insurance company for public workers in the United States of America.”

Festus pleaded guilty to the charge.

The Head of Advance Fee Fraud, EFCC, Ilorin Zonal office, Olamide Sadiq, reviewed the facts of the case, which included that the defendant was arrested based on a petition from the FBI linking him to the offence.

Justice Taiwo convicted him as charged and sentenced him to one-year imprisonment on each of the two counts with N300, 000 option of fine on each of the counts.

The judge also ordered him to return the sums of money he cornered to the FBI.