A Federal High Court sitting in Benin City has sentenced Goodluck Ejimiyare to five years’ imprisonment for recruiting teenagers into an internet fraud training network, popularly known as a “Yahoo school.”
The conviction was secured by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which disclosed the development in a statement.
The convict was sentenced by Justice C. A. Obiozor of the Court.
What the EFCC is saying
The EFCC said Ejimiyare was arraigned on March 30, 2026, on a one-count amended charge bordering on conspiracy to commit internet fraud.
According to the charge, the defendant conspired with one Ebuka Henry Eze, who is currently at large, to recruit young individuals into a fraud scheme popularly referred to as a “Yahoo school,” known as Hustling Kingdom.
- “The charge reads: That you Goodluck Ejimiyare sometime in 2025, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did conspire with one Ebuka Henry Eze (at large) to commit an offence to wit computer related fraud and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27 (b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act 2015 (as amended 2024) and punishable under Section 22(2) (iv) of the same Act,”
The defendant, Ejimiyare, pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him, prompting the prosecution counsel, Elodi Immaculate, to seek his conviction.
More insights
The court subsequently sentenced the defendant to five years’ imprisonment or an option of N1 million fine.
In addition, the court ordered the forfeiture of his mobile phone and mandated him to sign an undertaking to maintain good behaviour.
The EFCC disclosed that the case originated after officers of the Nigerian Army’s 4 Brigade Headquarters arrested 17 boys at a suspected Yahoo school and handed them over to the Commission.
During interrogation, several of the boys reportedly confessed that they were recruited by Ejimiyare into the Hustling Kingdom network.
What you should know
Internet fraud, commonly referred to as “Yahoo Yahoo,” remains a major concern for Nigerian authorities, particularly due to its growing appeal among young people.
In a recent operation reported by Nairametrics, the EFCC busted a suspected “Yahoo academy” in Abuja and arrested 31 trainees and operators.
The commission last year arrested 120 suspected internet fraudsters in Lagos during a major operation aimed at dismantling online fraud syndicates. Authorities seized items, including 26 luxury vehicles and numerous smartphones.
In a separate operation in Abuja, the EFCC apprehended 105 suspects, comprising 101 Nigerians and four foreign nationals, for their alleged involvement in internet fraud schemes, including fake hotel review job scams that targeted victims abroad.
The agency also arrested 28 suspected Ponzi scheme operators in Minna, Niger State, accusing them of enticing investors with unrealistic returns and collecting fees under false pretences, with plans to arraign them in court.
