A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced Courage Ipaka to two years in prison for defrauding a United States citizen, Mrs. Yvelte Thompson, of $53,000 by impersonating Nigerian musician Chinedu Okoli, popularly known as Flavour N’abania. The court, presided over by Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, handed down the sentence after Ipaka pleaded guilty to a two-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The prosecution, led by Suleiman Suleiman, presented evidence through EFCC investigator Azibagiri Ekpar, who detailed how Ipaka posed as Flavour, promising to organize shows in the U.S. and receiving payments through Bitcoin wallets. The fraud came to light following a petition by Eyitayo Abiodun and others on behalf of the victim.
During the investigation, Flavour himself was invited and cleared of any involvement. The EFCC traced the fraud to Ipaka, who admitted to the crime and revealed that he converted the funds to Naira through his Access Bank account. A total of N7.9 million was recovered from Ipaka and has been forfeited to Mrs. Thompson.
In addition to the prison sentence, Justice Dipeolu gave Ipaka the option of a N2 million fine and ordered the forfeiture of the recovered funds to the victim.
