The Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has sentenced Kelechi Declan James to three years’ imprisonment for impersonating a man identified as David Hernandez in a case involving an alleged $135,000 foreign exchange transaction.
Justice Daniel Osiagor handed down the sentence on Friday, October 9, 2026, after James pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of impersonation brought against him by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to the charge, James, on or about September 9, 2026, fraudulently presented himself as David Hernandez on his Facebook account, with the intention of gaining an advantage for himself.
The offence was said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 22(2)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024.
The EFCC said the case originated from a petition alleging that James 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 ₦201,165,843.50, into an account nominated by him.
However, despite allegedly acknowledging receipt of the funds, James reportedly failed to remit the agreed naira equivalent or refund the dollars. Efforts by the petitioner to recover the money were unsuccessful, prompting the complaint to the anti-graft agency.
Following James’s guilty plea, prosecuting counsel, S. I. Suleiman, presented the facts of the case and urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
Justice Osiagor subsequently sentenced James to three years’ imprisonment, with an option of a ₦300,000 fine. The court also ordered him to undertake three days of community service in connection with the sentence.
