The Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced a man named Courage Ipaka to two years imprisonment for impersonating renowned Nigerian singer Chinedu Okoli, popularly known as Flavour N’abania. Ipaka was convicted of defrauding a U.S. citizen, Yvelte M. Thompson, of $53,000.
Justice Dehinde Dipeolu delivered the judgment on Tuesday after Ipaka pleaded guilty to the two-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The judge also gave Ipaka the option of a ₦2 million fine and ordered the forfeiture of ₦7.9 million to the victim.
The EFCC’s prosecutor, Suleiman Suleiman, presented evidence through investigator Azibagiri Ekpar, who explained how Ipaka carried out the fraud. “Ipaka impersonated Flavour by claiming he would organize shows in the United States and received payments through his Bitcoin wallets,” Ekpar stated.
The investigation began after the EFCC received a petition from Eyitayo Abiodun and others on behalf of Thompson. “We invited Flavour, who came forward and denied any involvement in the allegations. Our investigation led us to Benin City, where we discovered that Ipaka Courage was the real culprit,” Ekpar revealed.
He added, “Ipaka admitted in his statement that he impersonated Flavour and scammed Mrs. Thompson of $53,000 in 2021. He converted the funds into naira and deposited them into his Access Bank account.”
Ekpar further disclosed that ₦7.9 million was recovered from Ipaka’s accounts through manager’s cheques from Zenith and Access banks.
After reviewing the evidence, Justice Dipeolu sentenced Ipaka to two years imprisonment with the option of a fine.
