State High Courts in Sokoto and Kaduna have handed down convictions and sentences to five individuals, totaling 15 years imprisonment, for various offenses including impersonation, false pretense, and cybercrimes. The cases were separately filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).In a recent announcement made by Justice Muhammad Sifawa of the Sokoto State High Court, the EFCC revealed via its verified Twitter handle @officialEFCC that Joseph Moses, Raji Tijjani, and Albert Bulus pleaded guilty to the charges and were subsequently sentenced to 12 years behind bars.The EFCC stated that the convictions were a result of the defendants admitting to one-count separate charges of impersonation and obtaining money under false pretense. The prosecution counsel, S.H. Shehu, urged the court to deliver appropriate convictions, and as a result, Justice Sifawa sentenced each of the three defendants to four years in prison.”The journey of the convicts to the correctional center began when they were apprehended by operatives of the Sokoto Command of the EFCC for impersonating foreigners and defrauding their victims. They were subsequently prosecuted and convicted,” the EFCC stated in its release.Additionally, the EFCC disclosed in a separate statement that the Kaduna Zonal Command achieved the conviction of Favour Arasomwan and Oyebamiji Stephen before Justice Darius Khobo of the State High Court in Kaduna. The charges against them related to cybercrime.The EFCC highlighted that these convicts were among the 26 suspects arrested in a sting operation in Abuja, which targeted individuals involved in internet-related fraud schemes. The investigation revealed that the convicted individuals employed various social media applications to deceive victims and illicitly obtain their hard-earned money.Following their guilty pleas during separate hearings, the prosecuting counsels M.E. Eimonye and M.U. Gadaka requested the court to deliver appropriate convictions. Consequently, Justice Khobo sentenced Favour Arasomwan to three years imprisonment, while Oyebamiji Stephen received a two-year prison term, or a fine of N150,000 each.Furthermore, as part of the sentence, Oyebamiji Stephen was ordered to forfeit his Apple iPhone XR, and Favour Arasomwan was directed to relinquish several items to the Federal Government of Nigeria, including an iPhone 11 Pro Max, a Hisense 1.5 horse power air conditioner, a Hisense 75-inch television, three LG standing fans, a four-burner Maxi gas tabletop cooker, a Hisense mini fridge, a Midea deep freezer, a Hisense microwave, a television stand, an outdoor relaxation swing, two mini garden chairs, one mini table, and a set of sofas.The EFCC continues to make significant strides in combating cybercrimes and protecting the public from fraudulent activities, as demonstrated by these successful convictions and sentences handed down by the State High Courts in Sokoto and Kaduna.