A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has sentenced four people for their involvement in a money laundering operation worth $5,296,691. The convicts, identified as Bamidele Ayodele Emmanuel, Abdullah Oriyomi Yusuf, Garuba Fathiat Funmilayo, and Gbenro Victor Ademola, were prosecuted by the Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Dele Oyewale, the EFCC spokesperson, confirmed that Justice F.N. Ogazi issued the ruling on August 5. The defendants faced charges under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022. During the proceedings, all four individuals entered guilty pleas. Prosecutors revealed that the group sold their personal details to a man named Afeez Animashaun at Mushin Market. These details were used to establish various shell companies, including College Compass Eduguide Nigeria Limited and Hortifresh Solutions Nigeria Limited, which were then used to process the laundered funds throughout January 2025.
Justice Ogazi sentenced each of the four defendants to four months in prison, alongside varying terms of community service and mandatory financial forfeitures to the Federal Government ranging from N700,000 to N1 million. Furthermore, the court mandated that the convicts must assist the EFCC in raising public awareness regarding the risks of sharing personal information with third parties.
