Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, sentenced Ikpaka Courage to two years in prison on Tuesday for impersonating Nigerian singer Chinedu Okoli, also known as Flavour, and defrauding a U.S. citizen of $53,000.
Courage, who had presented himself as Flavour on a Telegram account, was convicted on two counts of cybercrimes and money laundering. According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Courage duped Yvelte Thompson, a U.S. national, through a fraudulent dating scam.
The charges against Courage included making a false representation as Flavour to procure financial benefits and retaining $53,000 in his Access Bank account, knowing it was obtained through unlawful means. Courage pleaded guilty to both charges.
During the court proceedings, EFCC operative Azibagiri Dan Ekpar testified that Courage was arrested in Lagos on June 10, 2024. Ekpar revealed that Courage admitted to impersonating Flavour and obtaining the funds under the pretense of performing at Thompson’s birthday in Washington, DC. The money was transferred via a Bitcoin wallet created for this fraudulent purpose.
Courage also confessed to forging Flavour’s passport data page and creating a fictitious email address to communicate with the victim. He had previously restituted N7,900,000 as part of the settlement process.
Following the guilty plea, EFCC prosecutor S.I Suleiman presented evidence including the defendant’s extra-judicial statement, bank statements, chat printouts, and Bitcoin wallet records, which were admitted as exhibits by the court.
In his defense, counsel Bayo A. Phillip urged the court to show leniency, citing Courage’s status as a first-time offender and his use of the proceeds to further his education.
Justice Dipeolu sentenced Courage to one year on each count, with an option of a fine of N1,000,000 per count. The convict was also ordered to forfeit the defrauded amount to the petitioner and will remain in EFCC custody until the restitution is fulfilled.
Courage’s imprisonment follows his arrest by EFCC operatives for internet fraud, leading to his conviction for defrauding the victim.
