Henry Nathaniel Ekanem, a final-year student at the University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for internet fraud. The ruling was made on October 30 by Justice A. T. Mohammed at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.

Ekanem faced seven charges related to obtaining money through false pretenses and impersonation, which were brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). When the charges were read in court, he admitted his guilt.

One of the counts reads: “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 fraudulently representing yourself as Coran Capsha, manager of the singer, Chris Stapleton, a pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed 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.”

During the trial, the prosecution presented witnesses and submitted documents as evidence, which the court accepted. The prosecutor then asked the court to convict Ekanem based on this evidence. The defense attorney, F. T. Fred-Boufini, did not argue against the prosecution’s request but appealed for mercy, highlighting that Ekanem was a first-time offender with no prior criminal history.

Despite this plea, Justice Mohammed sentenced Ekanem to two years in prison for each of the seven counts. Alternatively, he could pay a fine of Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N200,000) for each count, which would go to the Federal Government of Nigeria’s Consolidated Revenue Account. The judge also ordered that all mobile phones seized from Ekanem be forfeited to the government, as they were deemed to be proceeds of crime.