$53,000 Fraud: Court Sentences Graduate for Impersonating Nigerian Singer Flavour
On September 3, 2024, Justice Dehinde I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, sentenced Ikpaka Courage to two years in prison for fraudulently posing as Nigerian musician Chinedu Okoli, also known as Flavour, and defrauding Mrs. Yvelte M. Thompson, an American citizen, of $53,000.
Courage, who has a degree in Philosophy, faced charges brought by the Lagos Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) related to cybercrime and money laundering.
The first charge accused Courage of falsely presenting himself as “Chinedu Okoli a.k.a. Flavour N’abania” on Telegram in April 2021, intending to deceive for financial gain. The second charge involved retaining $53,000 in his Access Bank account, knowing it was obtained through deceitful means.
Courage admitted guilt to the charges. During the proceedings, EFCC operative Azibagiri Dan Ekpar testified that Courage was arrested in Lagos on June 10, 2024. Courage confessed to using a fake identity to scam Mrs. Thompson under the pretense of performing at her birthday event in Washington DC, with the funds channeled through a Bitcoin wallet he set up.
Ekpar also revealed that Courage had forged Flavour’s Nigerian passport and created a fake email to communicate with the victim. Courage later returned 7.9 million Naira as restitution.
Despite pleading guilty, Courage’s defense counsel, Bayo A. Phillip, urged the court to show leniency, highlighting that Courage was a first-time offender who invested the stolen funds in his education.
Justice Dipeolu sentenced Courage to one year in prison for each count, with the option to pay a fine of 1 million Naira per count. The court ordered the forfeiture of the fraudulently obtained funds to the victim and remanded Courage in EFCC custody until the orders were fulfilled.
