A Nigerian, Kingsley Utulu, has been sentenced to five years and three months in prison for his role in a large-scale hacking and identity theft scheme that defrauded the U.S. tax authorities and private individuals of over $2.5m.

The sentencing, announced on Saturday by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, Christopher Raia, follows Utulu’s guilty plea to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Clayton noted, “Kingsley Uchelue Utulu took part in a scheme to hack into the U.S. tax preparation businesses, trade in the stolen personal identifying information, and defraud the IRS and other governmental bodies.

“Offshore scammers like Utulu and his co-conspirators may think they can target hard-working Americans with their hacking and fraud schemes and avoid prosecution.

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“The message from the Department and the FBI is clear — they cannot. We are committed to protecting Americans from criminals operating offshore.”

Raia, also reacting to the conviction, noted that Utulu’s actions caused significant harm.

Raia stated, “Kingsley Utulu, a Nigerian national, was part of a scheme that targeted and infiltrated electronic systems of U.S.-based companies to steal well over two million dollars through fraudulent tax returns.

“Along with his co-conspirators, this defendant’s scheme reached across the globe to exploit sensitive information for financial gain.

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“The FBI will never exempt any individual who seeks to unlawfully profit through deceitful practices, regardless of where they are located.”

A report published by DataBreaches.net and obtained by The PUNCH on Sunday, citing public court records and statements, revealed that the scheme dated back to 2019.

“Utulu and other Nigeria-based conspirators took part in a scheme to hack into U.S.-based tax preparation businesses. The conspirators utilised spearphishing emails to obtain access to these businesses’ electronic systems.

“Once access was gained, they stole tax and personal identifying information of clients, hacking into multiple tax preparation firms in New York, Texas, and other states,” the report noted.

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The stolen identities were then used to file fraudulent tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service and various state tax agencies.

The report added, “The conspirators sought at least $8.4 million in fraudulent refunds and successfully obtained around $2.5m.

“They also filed fraudulent claims with the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, securing an additional $819,000.”

Utulu, 38, was arrested in the United Kingdom and later extradited to the United States to face prosecution.

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In addition to his 63-month prison sentence, he was ordered to pay restitution totalling $3,683,029.39 and to forfeit $290,250.

His conviction adds to a growing list of Nigerians prosecuted in the U.S. and Europe for cyber-enabled financial crimes.

Earlier in January, two other Nigerians, Olutayo Ogunlaja and Abel Daramola, were convicted of orchestrating a $560,000 international romance scam and now face up to 20 years in a U.S. federal prison.

The Awujale and paramount ruler of Ijebu land, Oba Sikiru Adetona, was conspicuously absent at the Ojude Oba festival on Sunday in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

The annual cultural celebration which is held three days after the celebration of Eid-el-Kabir provides the opportunity for the people of Ijebu land, who are usually dressed in various beautiful attires to pay homage to the Awujale and display the rich cultural heritage of the Ijebu people including horse riding among others.

However, the highly revered traditional ruler, who for decades usually sits in his majesty to receive the homage from the thousands of guests, tourists, and people from Ijebu during the annual festival, was absent from the festival held on Sunday.

He was represented by his wife, Olori Kemi Adetona.

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Though, there has been no official statement detailing why the monarch was absent at the festival but an impeccable source told our correspondent that the 91-year-old monarch was not getting younger and that his absence was due to old age.

However, concerns are also said to be mounting over the health of the royal father.

A senior official from the state government who pleaded not to be quoted also confirmed that the absence of the royal father was due to old age and that nothing was wrong with the health of the paramount ruler.

However, efforts to get the reaction of the Coordinator of the 2025 Ojude Oba festival, Fassy Yusuf, proved abortive as calls made to his line were not connecting while the text sent to him has not been replied at the time of filing this report on Monday.

By Joseph Ebi Kanjo 

Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has called for an end to human’s exploitative, violent, and destructive relationship with the ocean even as the world marks World Ocean Day today, 8 June, 2025.

In a statement issued by Kome Odhomor, Media/Communications Lead, HOMEF, to mark this year’s World Ocean Day with the theme: ‘Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us,’ the ecological think tank organisation said Ocean is not just a water but an ecosystems which “supply a substantial amount of oxygen to the atmosphere and offer various services that ensure the survival of all species on Earth.

“Climate change, primarily caused by human activities, is impacting the ocean. Dead zones are proliferating, pollution from minerals and fossil fuel extraction and production processes is occurring, unsustainable industrial fishing practices are occurring, intentional waste dumping is occurring, and disturbances of the ocean floor and seabeds are among a long list of destructive activities.

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“As ocean surface temperatures increase, global warming will also rise. Therefore, protecting the ocean from these forms of degradation would ultimately safeguard the Earth. Let’s protect the ocean and force others to respect it because we are the ocean; we are part of the ocean family.”

Odhomor, in the statement made available to INFO DAILY on Sunday, quoted the Executive Director of HOMEF, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, as saying the World Ocean Day is celebrated annually on 8 June to underscore the immeasurable importance of the world’s ocean and garner support for their protection.

Bassey in the statement lamented that despite the importance, the ocean and other water bodies are continuously subjected to a barrage of assaults at local, national, and international levels.

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“The concept that the ocean cycles itself and acts as a greenhouse gas sink has been misconstrued to mean that the ocean can filter and clean itself no matter what is dumped in it.

“The ocean and other waterbodies have become dumpsites of all sorts, polluting and extreme exploitation.

“There are a lot of unusual activities going on in our waters that must not be allowed to continue if we want a healthy ocean and planet,” he noted.

Bassey further stated that “corporate interests have been substituted for national and people-centred interests, as communities that live along the coasts, bear the brunt of such abnormalities. Now is the time for all to rise to the occasion to protect the ocean. The continued burning of the Ororo Oil well over a period of five years is a sad commentary on ecocide on our waters.”

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Also lending his voice, Stephen Oduware, a Programme Manager with HOMEF and Coordinator of the Fishnet Alliance, a network of fishers across Africa, emphatically noted that the world’s fisheries depend on the ocean.

“The two major sides of the ocean bordering Africa – the Atlantic and Indian, along with their associated gulfs, are experiencing shortfalls in fishing due to vested and powerful interests. Industrial fishing, including the use of bottom trawlers, is partly responsible for unsustainable fishing and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the region.

“These practices not only harm fisheries but also harm the ocean and create imbalances in the ecosystems the ocean supports. These unchecked activities in the territorial waters of Africa must stop. Fishers of the world unite,” he noted.