An Ikeja Special Offences Court has sentenced Ndidi Joshua Bobby to 42 years in prison for his involvement in an €80,000 internet fraud scheme involving false identity and obtaining money under false pretence.
The trial judge, Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe, delivered the judgment on Wednesday, ruling that the prosecution had established its case beyond reasonable doubt. Bobby was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, on a six-count charge bordering on stealing and possession of fraudulent documents.
According to the prosecution, the convict, in 2020, posed as “Prince Louis” to defraud a foreign victim, Sabine Sigrid Osterlehner, and unlawfully obtained €80,000 from her. He was initially arraigned in December 2021 on a two-count charge, which was later amended to six counts in July 2025 under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act.
Bobby pleaded not guilty, prompting a full trial that commenced in February 2022. During proceedings, the prosecution presented two witnesses and tendered documentary evidence to support its case. After the prosecution closed its case in October 2023, the defendant filed a no-case submission, which the court dismissed, ordering him to open his defence.
In her ruling, Justice Abike-Fadipe held that the evidence clearly established the defendant’s guilt and sentenced him to seven years on each of the six counts, to run concurrently. The court also ordered the forfeiture of all items recovered from the convict to the Federal Government, describing them as instruments used in committing the offence.
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