Lagos Court hands down prison sentence to dating scammer

A man, Solomon Martins, who specialises in dating scam has been sentenced to one year in prison by Justice C. J. Aneke of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.

Martins, who was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), faced charges relating to fraudulent impersonation.

One of the counts against Martins stated that he fraudulently impersonated ‘John Scott,’ a white military male from London, United Kingdom, via Gmail correspondence with unsuspecting victims. He pleaded guilty to the charges, leading to a review of the case facts by prosecution counsel A.O. Mohammed and EFCC operative Suleiman Aminu.

Martins was apprehended in February 2024 following credible intelligence on internet fraudsters operating in Lagos’ Lekki area. Upon arrest, an iPhone 11 was recovered from him. He confessed to engaging in dating scams, profiting $1,200.

The court admitted Martins’ extrajudicial statements, iPhone 11, bank draft of N100,000, and forensic investigation documents as evidence, resulting in his conviction. Justice Aneke sentenced him to one year imprisonment, with an option of fine of N1,500,000 and 100 hours of community service.

Additionally, the judge ordered forfeiture of Martins’ mobile phone and bank draft to the Federal Government of Nigeria.