Henry Nathaniel Ekanem, a final-year student at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for his involvement in internet fraud. Justice A. T. Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt convicted Ekanem on seven counts of fraud, sentencing him to two years for each count, with an option to pay a fine of N200,000 per count into the Federal Government’s Consolidated Revenue Account.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of all mobile phones seized from Ekanem, deeming them proceeds of crime.
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested Ekanem in September 2024 in Choba, Port Harcourt. According to EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, Ekanem pleaded guilty to charges of impersonation and obtaining money under false pretenses. Posing as Coran Capshaw, manager of singer Chris Stapleton, Ekanem reportedly scammed individuals, including one Diana Roskov, out of $22 through WhatsApp and Instagram.
During the trial, EFCC’s prosecution counsel, A. Abubakar, presented witnesses and evidence, leading to Ekanem’s conviction. While Ekanem’s defense counsel, F. T. Fred-Boufini, did not oppose the charges, she requested leniency on the grounds that he was a first-time offender with no prior criminal record.
