A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced Courage Ipaka, a man who impersonated popular Nigerian singer Flavour, to two years in prison for defrauding a U.S.-based woman of $53,000. The sentencing, delivered by Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, also included an option of a N2 million fine.
The fraud case stemmed from allegations that Ipaka, posing as Flavour, promised to organize music shows in the United States. His victim, Yvelte M. Thompson, reportedly transferred $53,000 to the fraudster through his Bitcoin wallet, believing she was dealing with the famous musician.
Azibagiri Dan Ekpar, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), testified in court on Tuesday, outlining how Ipaka executed the scam. “Upon investigation, we discovered that one Ipaka Courage who lives in Benin City was the perpetrator. The defendant admitted in his statement that he impersonated Flavour by obtaining $53,000 from a woman who is a United States citizen in 2021,” Ekpar explained.
The scam was uncovered after a petition was filed by Eyitayo Tolulope Abiodun on behalf of the victim. Flavour himself was questioned during the investigation and was cleared of any wrongdoing.
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Following his fraudulent activities, Ipaka converted the stolen funds from Bitcoin to Naira and transferred them to his Access Bank account. The EFCC successfully recovered N7.9 million from him through manager’s cheques from both Zenith and Access Bank.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered the forfeiture of N7.9 million to Thompson as part of the restitution.
