Henry Nathaniel Ekanem, a final-year student at the University of Port Harcourt, has been convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison for internet fraud by Justice A.T. Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Ekanem’s troubles began in September 2024 when EFCC operatives arrested him at Choba, Port Harcourt, for internet-related activities.
He was subsequently arraigned by the Port Harcourt Zonal Directorate of the EFCC on seven counts of obtaining money under false pretenses and impersonation.
The court found Ekanem guilty of impersonating Coran Capshaw, manager of singer Chris Stapleton, to defraud Diana Roskov and others through WhatsApp and Instagram interactions.
Specifically, he was convicted of obtaining $22 from Roskov by falsely representing himself as Capshaw, contrary to the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offences Act 2006.
During the trial, prosecution counsel A. Abubakar presented witnesses and evidence, while Ekanem’s counsel, F.T. Fred-Boufini, pleaded for leniency, noting Ekanem’s first-time offender status. Justice Mohammed sentenced Ekanem to two years’ imprisonment on each count, with an option to pay a N200,000 fine per count.
Additionally, Ekanem must forfeit all recovered mobile phones and submit an affidavit of good behavior to the court.
This conviction highlights the EFCC’s ongoing efforts to combat internet fraud and cybercrime in Nigeria.
The Commission has secured several convictions in recent years, including the conviction of 11 undergraduates from Obafemi Awolowo University for alleged internet fraud.
