Abdulazeez Abdulwahab
JUSTICE Dehinde I. Dipeolu of a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Tuesday, 3 September 2024, convicted and sentenced Ikpaka Courage to two years imprisonment for presenting himself as Chinedu Okoli (professionally known as Flavour) a Nigerian singer, to dupe a United States of America citizen, Mrs Yvelte M. Thompson, of the sum of Fifty-Three Thousand United States Dollars ($53,000).
Courage, a graduate of Philosophy, was arraigned on Tuesday by the Lagos Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a two-count charge bordering on cybercrimes and money laundering.
Count one reads: “That you, Ikpaka Courage, sometime in April 2021 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, directly made a false statement, wherein you held yourself out as a Nigerian entertainer by the name “Chinedu Okoli a.k.a. Flavour N’abania” on your Telegram account, knowing the same to be false and with intent that the representation is relied upon for the purpose of procuring the issuance of financial instrument to yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(3) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act 2015.”
Count two reads: “That you, Ikpaka Courage, sometime in April 2021 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, indirectly retained the sum of Fifty-Three Thousand USD ($53,000.00) in your Access Bank Plc account number 0108866415, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activity to wit: dishonest conversion of the said sum, property of Mrs Yvette M. Thompson and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2)(d) and punishable under Section 18( 3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act,2022.”
He pleaded “guilty” to the charges when they were read to him.
Following his guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, S.I Suleiman, presented a witness, Azibagiri Dan Ekpar, an operative of the EFCC, to review the facts of the case.
The defendant, Ekpar said, was arrested in Lagos on 10 June 2024.
He added: “Upon his arrest by operatives of the Lagos Directorate, he volunteered his statement.
“In his statement, he confessed to having been involved in a dating scam and that he used his platform to impersonate Chinedu Okoli, a.k.a. Flavour N’abania.
“He also confessed to having obtained the sum of Fifty-Three Thousand United States Dollars ($53,000.00) from one Mrs Yvette M. Thompson under the pretence that he would perform on her birthday in Washington DC in July 2021.
“The money was transferred through a Bitcoin wallet he created in order to receive the proceeds of crime.”
In his further review of the facts, Ekpar said: “He also admitted to having forged the Nigerian international passport data page of Mr Chinedu Okoli, a.k.a. Flavour N’abania and also created a fictitious email address, which he used to communicate with the victim.
“He had restituted the sum of Seven Million, Nine Hundred Thousand Naira (N7, 900,000) by raising a managers’ cheque.”
Suleiman, thereafter, applied to tender, in evidence, the defendant’s extra-judicial statement, the bank’s statement, a printout of chats between him and the victim, as well as the Bitcoin wallet statement from Binance.
Justice Dipeolu admitted them as exhibits.
Counsel to the convict, Bayo A. Phillip, prayed the court to “temper justice with mercy”, adding that “he is a first-time offender and he did not waste the time of the court.
“My Lord, he did not channel the proceeds of his offence into living lavishly; rather, he used it to further his education and is now a graduate of Philosophy.”
Consequently, Justice Dipeolu convicted and sentenced the defendant to one year imprisonment on count one, with an option of a fine of One Million Naira (N1,000,000.00).
He was also convicted and sentenced to one year imprisonment on count two, with an option of a fine of One Million Naira (N1,000,000.00).
The judge ordered that the money be forfeited to the petitioner and also remanded the convict in EFCC custody pending the fulfilment of the order within 21 days.
Courage’s journey to the correctional centre began when he was arrested by operatives of the Lagos Directorate of the EFCC for internet fraud. He was charged to court and convicted.
Eighteen-Eleven Media