Busted at Obasanjo’s Library Hotel. Three Guys Are Going Down, One Says ‘Not Me.’

By: Akinde S. Oluwaseun

It all went down in a Lagos courtroom Friday.

Remember that big EFCC raid at the hotel right there on the old Obasanjo Presidential Library grounds? Well, this was the fallout. Justice Dehinde Dipeolu was on the bench, and the story unfolded. Three of the guys busted that day admitted to everything. They were guilty. Simple as that. But a fourth one, he decided to fight.

First up was Isaac Akinwale. His hustle? Posing online as a woman named “Monica” to run a celebrity scam. He managed to squeeze $500 out of someone. The EFCC, they brought out the proof. A 2007 Toyota Camry, a Galaxy phone, and even a N400,000 bank draft. The judge sentenced him to three months in prison. Or he could pay a N1 million fine if he can swing it.

Then there was Ibrahim Azeez Olatunji. His game was romance scams. For him, the sentence was lighter. One month in the slammer or a N500,000 fine.

But the last of the guilty trio, Habeeb Oladipupo Oshundairo, he got something different. He has to do 30 days of community service. And get this—he’s got to carry a big sign around that says: “Cybercrime Does Not Pay. Stay Away from Cybercrime.” Talk about a walk of shame. He’d been caught with N600,000 from his own little scheme.

But not everyone was ready to roll over. The fourth defendant, a guy named Onunoye Fawas Olamilekan, stood his ground. The EFCC said he was posing as “Nurse Becky” on Facebook and had pocketed $50 from the fraud. His lawyer, though, he stood up and called them out. Said the law they were charging him with didnt even exist.

Didn’t matter for now. Justice Dipeolu sent him to the Ikoyi Correctional Centre anyway. He’ll have to wait. His next day in court aint until October 31, 2025. A long time to wait.