Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, has sentenced Nonso Joseph Ekeocha to one year imprisonment for possession of fraudulent documents used in perpetrating a romance scam. The verdict was delivered on Tuesday, following Ekeocha’s guilty plea to a one-count charge brought against him by the Lagos Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Ekeocha was charged with the possession of fraudulent documents, including an Instagram profile where he posed as “Ronald Gregory,” an American involved in an online dating scam. The charge read: “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.”
After pleading guilty, the prosecution counsel, I. G. Akhanolu, called upon an EFCC operative, Ismail Saifullahi, to present the facts of the case. Saifullahi recounted how Ekeocha was arrested on 29th June 2024, alongside others involved in computer-related fraud. Items recovered from him during the arrest included an iPhone 12 Pro Max and a Samsung S-10, both of which were subjected to forensic analysis.
The forensic examination revealed Ekeocha’s involvement in a romance scam, where he posed as Ronald Gregory, sending love messages to unsuspecting victims online and soliciting financial assistance from those interested in a relationship. Evidence, including Ekeocha’s extrajudicial statement and fraudulent documents retrieved from his mobile devices, was tendered in court and admitted as exhibits.
In his address to the court, Ekeocha pleaded for leniency, promising to turn away from internet fraud in the future.
Justice Abike-Fadipe sentenced him to one year imprisonment with an option of a ₦500,000 fine, alongside 50 hours of community service. Additionally, the judge ordered the forfeiture of the iPhone 12 Pro Max and Samsung S-10 recovered from Ekeocha to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
