Court Jails Popular TikTok Musician Shalli Popi, Five Others For Cyber-Fraud

The Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has secured the conviction of TikTok music celebrity, Crown Uzama, popularly known as “Shalli Popi” and five others before Justice A. A Isiaka on a separate one-count charge bordering on criminal impersonation, offences contrary to Sections 142 (1), 57, and 308 of the Kaduna Penal Code Law, 2017, and punishable under Section 309 of the same Law.

Shalli Popi and Miller Maxwell were convicted alongside Joel Kator (aka Alfred Hudson), AbdulAzeez Suleiman Temidayo (aka Miss Katie Official), Favour Chidiogo Emmanuel (aka Kate Banks), John Joseph (aka Avail Hollywood), and Bethel Makuochukwu ( aka Violetqmartinez). Makuochukwu had two weeks earlier been convicted for money laundering.

They all pleaded guilty to the charges preferred against them. Consequently, the prosecuting counsel, M.E Eimonye, M. Arumeni, M.U Gadaka, and K.S Ogunlade urged the court to convict them accordingly.

Justice Isiaka convicted and sentenced the defendants to two years imprisonment each with an option of fines.

In addition, they are to forfeit all electronic gadgets, furniture, and other items recovered from them, to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The defendants were arrested at various locations in Kaduna upon intelligence received by the Command. The investigation established they had impersonated foreign nationals and used false identities to defraud unsuspecting victims.