The Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced Kelechi Declan James to three years’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to impersonation in a case prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Justice Daniel Osiagor, sitting in Ikoyi, delivered the judgment on Friday, October 9, 2026, following a one-count charge filed by the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 1.
According to the charge, James fraudulently posed as a person identified as “David Hernandez” on Facebook on or about September 9, 2026, allegedly intending to gain an advantage for himself. The offence was prosecuted under Section 22(2)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024.
The case originated from a petition alleging that the defendant had approached the petitioner in December 2024, claiming to have Nigerian business partners who needed foreign currency exchange services.
The petitioner alleged that James persuaded him to source and transfer $135,000, equivalent to N201,165,843.50 at the stated valuation, into an account nominated by the defendant.
However, despite allegedly acknowledging receipt of the funds, James reportedly failed to pay the agreed naira equivalent or return the dollars. The petitioner said efforts to recover the money were unsuccessful.
When the charge was read in court, James pleaded guilty.
EFCC prosecuting counsel, S. I. Suleiman, subsequently presented the facts of the case and urged the court to convict and sentence the defendant.
Justice Osiagor sentenced James to three years’ imprisonment, with an option of paying a N300,000 fine. The court also ordered him to perform three days of community service in connection with the sentence.
