Court jails undergraduate for fraud in Port Harcourt

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has secured the conviction of Henry Nathaniel Ekanem, a final-year undergraduate of the University of Port Harcourt.

A statement on the anti-graft agency’s X.com page revealed that Ekanem was convicted and sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment for internet fraud by Justice A.T. Mohammed of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Wednesday.

According to the statement, Ekanem was sentenced on Wednesday, 30th October 2024, following his arraignment by the Port Harcourt Zonal Directorate of the EFCC on seven charges relating to obtaining money under false pretences and impersonation.

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The agency detailed that Ekanem successfully defrauded Diana Roskov and others by impersonating Coran Capshaw, the manager of singer Chris Stapleton, through WhatsApp and Instagram interactions.

One of the charges read, “That you, Henry Nathaniel Ekanem, on or about 17th September 2024, at Choba in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the sum of Twenty-Two United States of America dollars ($22) from Diana Roskov by falsely representing yourself as Coran Capshaw, manager of singer Chris Stapleton—a representation you knew to be false—and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offences Act 2006.”

Ekanem pleaded guilty when the charges were read. In view of his plea, prosecution counsel A. Abubakar presented witnesses and submitted documents as evidence, which were admitted by the court as exhibits. He subsequently urged the court to convict and sentence the defendant.

The defendant’s counsel, F.T. Fred-Boufini, did not contest the prosecution’s request but pleaded for leniency, noting that the defendant was a first-time offender with no prior criminal record. Justice Mohammed sentenced the defendant to two years’ imprisonment on each of the seven counts, with an option to pay a fine of N200,000 per count into the Consolidated Revenue Account of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Additionally, the judge ordered the forfeiture of all mobile phones recovered from the convict to the government, as they were proceeds of crime. The convict is also required to submit an affidavit of good behaviour to the court.

Ekanem’s journey to the Correctional Centre began when EFCC operatives arrested him in September 2024 at Choba, Port Harcourt, for internet fraud and other related activities.