Yahoo Boy Jailed 2 Years for Impersonating Flavour N’abania, Defrauding US Woman

During the investigation, Flavour was invited by the EFCC, where he denied any involvement in the scam.

Lagos, Nigeria – A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced Courage Ipaka to two years imprisonment for defrauding a U.S. citizen, Mrs. Yvelte Thompson, of $53,000 by impersonating popular Nigerian musician, Chinedu Okoli, also known as Flavour N’abania.

Justice Dehinde Dipeolu handed down the sentence after Ipaka pleaded guilty to a two-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The EFCC’s prosecution counsel, Suleiman Suleiman, presented evidence through investigator Azibagiri Ekpar, who testified that Ipaka had impersonated Flavour, promising to organize shows in the United States and receiving payments through Bitcoin wallets.

The fraud came to light following a petition from Eyitayo Abiodun and others on behalf of the victim. During the investigation, Flavour was invited by the EFCC, where he denied any involvement in the scam. The investigation revealed that Ipaka, residing in Benin City, Edo State, was the actual perpetrator.

Ipaka confessed to the crime, admitting that he obtained $53,000 from Mrs. Thompson in 2021 by pretending to be Flavour. The funds were transferred through Bitcoin wallets and later converted into Naira in Ipaka’s Access Bank account.

The EFCC was able to recover N7.9 million from Ipaka, which was forfeited to Mrs. Thompson as part of the court’s ruling. Despite the two-year jail sentence, Ipaka was given the option to pay a fine of N2 million in lieu of serving the prison term.