Lagos Court Sentences Flavour Impersonator to Two Years in Prison for Defrauding U.S. Woman

The Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced Courage Ipaka to two years in prison for impersonating popular Nigerian singer Flavour N’abania and defrauding a U.S.-based woman of $53,000. The case, which has drawn significant attention, was spearheaded by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The court heard that Ipaka, posing as Flavour, deceived Yvelte M. Thompson by promising to organize concerts in the United States. Thompson, believing she was dealing with the renowned artist, transferred $53,000 to Ipaka through Bitcoin transactions. The funds were then converted to Nigerian Naira and deposited into his Access Bank account.

Azibagiri Dan Ekpar, the EFCC investigator leading the case, revealed that the commission was alerted to the fraud through a petition filed by Eyitayo Tolulope Abiodun and others on behalf of the victim. Flavour was subsequently invited for questioning and was cleared of any involvement.

Upon his arrest, Ipaka confessed to the crime, admitting that he had impersonated the singer to extort money from Thompson in 2021. Authorities recovered N7.9 million from the defendant, which has since been forfeited to the victim.

Presiding Judge Dehinde Dipeolu sentenced Ipaka to two years imprisonment but offered him an option to pay a fine of N2 million. The court also mandated the forfeiture of the recovered funds to Thompson as restitution for her losses.