Swift operatives of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (ForceCID), Annex, Alagbon-Ikoyi, Lagos, have arraigned Essien Emmanuel Akpama before the Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged identity theft, impersonation and cyber-enabled fraud.
Akpama was arraigned before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa on a charge marked FHC/L/186C/2026, filed by the Legal/Prosecution Department of the ForceCID, led by Mr Morufu Ajani Animashaun. The prosecution alleged that the defendant committed the offences in 2025 at the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, where he allegedly impersonated two Brazilian nationals, Jose Carlos and Joseph Belotti, using a Facebook account to perpetrate fraudulent acts.
According to the charge, the defendant allegedly obtained high-end electronic devices and cash from a victim, Linda Schnur, including a MacBook Pro 14 laptop, an iPhone 17 Pro Max, two Google Pixel 10 phones and one Google Pixel 10 Pro phone, the sum of N1.6 million and $5,000.
The prosecution said the alleged offences contravene 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 pleaded not guilty to the charges. Following his plea, the prosecution asked the court to fix a trial date and remand the defendant in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) pending the determination of the case, while defence counsel urged the court to grant bail on liberal terms.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa granted the defendant bail in the sum of N2 million with one surety in like sum, ordering that the surety must be a landed property owner within the court’s jurisdiction or a Grade Level 14 officer in a government establishment.
The judge also ordered that the defendant be remanded in NCoS custody pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions and adjourned the matter to March 27, 2026, for trial.
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