Henry Nathaniel Ekanem has been sentenced to 14 years in prison by a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for Internet fraud. A final-year student at the University of Port Harcourt, Ekanem was convicted by Justice A. T. Mohammed after facing seven charges from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) related to fraud and impersonation.
EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale revealed that Ekanem swindled Diana Roskov of $22 by pretending to be Coran Capsha, manager of singer Chris Stapleton, through communications on WhatsApp and Instagram. Ekanem pleaded guilty to the charges.
His lawyer, F. T. Fred-Boufini, appealed for mercy, highlighting that Ekanem had no previous criminal record. Nevertheless, Justice Mohammed sentenced him to two years for each of the seven charges or a fine of 200,000 Naira, which is to be paid into the Federal Government’s Consolidated Revenue Account. The court also ordered that all phones recovered from Ekanem be forfeited to the government as they were acquired through illegal activities, and he was instructed to file an affidavit of good conduct with the court.