Operatives of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (ForceCID), Alagbon-Ikoyi, Lagos, have arraigned a man, Essien Emmanuel Akpama, before the Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged identity theft, impersonation, and cyber-enabled fraud.
Akpama was brought before the court on charges filed by the Legal and Prosecution Department of the ForceCID, led by Morufu Ajani Animashaun, before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa.
The case is marked FHC/L/186c/2026.
According to the prosecution, the alleged offences were committed sometime in 2025 at the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
The charge alleged that Akpama impersonated two Brazilian nationals, Jose Carlos and Joseph Belotti, using his Facebook account to perpetrate the fraud.
The prosecution further informed the court that the defendant fraudulently obtained several high-end electronic devices and cash from a victim identified as Linda Schnur.
The items allegedly obtained include a MacBook Pro 14 laptop, an iPhone 17 Pro Max, two Google Pixel 10 Pro XI phones, one Google Pixel 10 Pro phone, and the sum of ₦1.6 million.
Akpama was also accused of fraudulently obtaining $5,000 from the same victim.
The prosecution stated that the alleged acts contravened Section 484 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, as well as Section 14 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Following the plea, the prosecution applied for a trial date and requested that the court remand the defendant into the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) pending the determination of the case.
In response, counsel for the defendant requested that the court grant his client bail on liberal terms, assuring the court that Akpama would not abscond.
After listening to submissions from both parties, Justice Lewis-Allagoa granted the defendant bail in the sum of ₦2 million, with one surety in like sum.
The court ordered that the surety must be either a landed property owner within the court’s jurisdiction or a Grade Level 14 officer in a government establishment.
The judge further ordered that the defendant be remanded in NCoS custody pending the perfection of his bail conditions and adjourned the matter to March 27, 2026, for trial.
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