The Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced Courage Ipaka to two years in prison for impersonating renowned Nigerian singer Chinedu Okoli, popularly known as Flavour N’abania.
Ipaka was found guilty of defrauding a U.S. citizen, Yvelte M. Thompson, of $53,000 by posing as the famous musician. The sentence was handed down on Tuesday by Justice Dehinde Dipeolu after Ipaka pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In addition to the prison term, the judge offered Ipaka an alternative of paying a ₦2 million fine and ordered the forfeiture of ₦7.9 million to the defrauded victim.
During the trial, EFCC prosecutor Suleiman Suleiman presented evidence through investigator Azibagiri Ekpar, who detailed how Ipaka carried out the fraudulent scheme.
“Ipaka impersonated Flavour, claiming he would organize shows in the United States and collected payments through his Bitcoin wallets,” Ekpar explained.
The scam came to light after a petition was filed by Eyitayo Abiodun and others on behalf of Thompson. Following an investigation, Flavour was invited by the EFCC and he denied any involvement in the fraud. The trail eventually led to Benin City, where Ipaka was apprehended as the true perpetrator.
Ipaka confessed to the crime, admitting that he had swindled Thompson out of $53,000 in 2021. He revealed that he converted the funds into naira and deposited them into his Access Bank account. The EFCC was able to recover ₦7.9 million from Ipaka’s accounts through manager’s cheques from Zenith and Access Banks.
After considering the evidence, Justice Dipeolu sentenced Ipaka to two years in prison, with the option of a fine.
