The Federal High Court has sentenced Courage Ikpaka to two years in prison for defrauding Mrs. Yvelte M. Thompson, a United States citizen, of $53,000, in Lagos. Ikpaka was found guilty of impersonating Nigerian musician Chinedu Okoli, better known as Flavour N’abania.
The court delivered the verdict on Tuesday, September 3, after Ikpaka admitted guilt to a two-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
During the trial, it was revealed that Ikpaka posed as Flavour, promising to organize shows in the United States and receiving payments through Bitcoin wallets. The scam came to light after a petition from Eyitayo Tolulope Abiodun and others, acting on behalf of the victim, was lodged with the EFCC.
EFCC officials invited Flavour for questioning, who denied any involvement. Following this, investigators traced the fraud to Ikpaka, a resident of Benin City. In his statement, Ikpaka confessed to impersonating Flavour and obtaining $53,000 from Mrs. Thompson in 2021. The funds were transferred via Bitcoin and later converted into Naira, totaling N7.9 million. The money was recovered from the defendant through manager’s cheques from Zenith and Access Banks.
Justice Dipeolu, considering the guilty plea and the evidence presented, sentenced Ikpaka to two years in prison, with an option to pay a fine of N2 million. The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the recovered N7.9 million to Mrs. Thompson.
