Five young men have been caught plotting a romance scam in Ibadan, Oyo State.
They were on Monday appeared before an Iyaganku Magistrates’ Court, Ibadan, for allegedly posing as white men and women on Facebook and TikTok.
The defendants – Olufemi Ayodeji, 26; Timileyin Okeleye, 25; Oluwademilade Akinola, 24; Temitope Joshua, 24; and Olasunkanmi Eniola, 28 – were charged with a five-count offence of impersonation.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecutor, Insp Adeshina Folaranmi, told the court that the defendants committed the offences on Dec. 19, at about 9.00 a.m., in the Agbowo area of Ibadan.
Folaranmi alleged that the defendants falsely represented themselves on Facebook and TikTok as white men and women, with the intent to defraud people.
He said the offence contravened Section 484 of the Criminal Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
The magistrate, Mrs Oluwabusayo Osho, granted the defendants bail in the sum of N1 million each, with two sureties each in the like sum.
She held that one of the sureties must be a parent of the defendants sharing the same surname, and thereafter adjourned the case until Feb. 9, 2026, for hearing.
