Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, convicted Nonso Joseph Ekeocha on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, sentencing him to one year in prison for possessing fraudulent documents.
Ekeocha was prosecuted by the Lagos Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a single count related to the possession of documents used in a romance scam.
The charge stated: “Nonso Joseph Ekeocha, on or about the 27th June 2024 in Lagos, within the judicial division of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, had in your possession, ‘Instagram Profile Account’, wherein you represented yourself as Ronald Gregory, and other related documents for an online dating scam, which you knew or ought to know to be false.”
Ekeocha pleaded guilty to the charge.
Following his plea, prosecution counsel I.G. Akhanolu requested the court to call a witness, Ismail Saifullahi, an operative of the Commission, to present the facts of the case.
Saifullahi testified that Ekeocha was arrested on June 29, 2024, along with others involved in computer-related fraud in Lagos.
Saifullahi said: “Upon his arrest, he was brought to the EFCC office. Items recovered from him at the point of arrest were iPhone 12 pro max and Samsung S-10 phones, which were analysed through a forensic examination.
“The analysis revealed fraudulent documents about the defendant’s involvement in an online dating scam, where he represented himself as a male American bearing Ronald Gregory.
“He informed the Commission that he usually carried out the fraudulent activities by sending love messages randomly online to members of the public and that those who showed interest in having a relationship were asked for financial assistance.”
Prosecution counsel Akhanolu then sought to submit Ekeocha’s extrajudicial statement and a collection of fraudulent documents retrieved from his mobile phones as evidence.
Justice Fadipe admitted these as exhibits and subsequently convicted Ekeocha as charged.
