A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has sentenced Courage Ipaka to two years in prison for impersonating popular Nigerian musician Flavour and defrauding a U.S.-based woman of $53,000. The court found that Ipaka, who resides in Benin City, Edo State, successfully deceived Yvelte M. Thompson by posing as the musician and promising to organize music shows in the United States.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) led the investigation after a petition was filed by Eyitayo Tolulope Abiodun on behalf of Thompson. EFCC’s lead investigator, Azibagiri Dan Ekpar, revealed that Ipaka received payments from Thompson through Bitcoin transactions, which were converted into Naira and deposited into his Access Bank account. The scam, carried out in 2021, saw Ipaka capitalize on Thompson’s trust.
During the investigation, N7.9 million was recovered from Ipaka through bank cheques, which the court ordered to be returned to Thompson.
Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, presiding over the case, sentenced Ipaka to two years in prison. He was convicted on two counts—cybercrimes and money laundering. The court also allowed Ipaka to pay a fine of N1 million on each count to avoid serving the full term, while ordering the recovered funds to be forfeited to the victim.
Ipaka, a graduate of Philosophy, admitted to impersonating Flavour, using fake Telegram accounts and forged documents. His lawyer pleaded for leniency, noting that Ipaka had used the fraud proceeds to fund his education. Nonetheless, Justice Dipeolu emphasized the gravity of the crime, sending a strong message against cyber fraud.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Emmanuel Mensah
