The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of Nwachi Chidozie Kingsley for defrauding an American woman, Nicole Kierulff Sayers, of $205,238 under false pretences.
Justice U.P. Kekemeke of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Maitama, Abuja, delivered the judgment on Thursday, October 29, 2026, sentencing Kingsley to seven years’ imprisonment on each of the two counts against him, without an option of fine.
The sentences are to run concurrently at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja. The court also ordered the convict to refund the victim the sum of $205,238 (Two Hundred and Five Thousand, Two Hundred and Thirty-Eight United States Dollars).
Kingsley was prosecuted by the EFCC on a two-count amended charge bordering on possession of a document containing false pretence and obtaining money by false pretence in connection with a purported contract with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.
One of the charges alleged that Kingsley possessed a forged notice of intent to award a contract, purportedly issued in his name by the ministry.
The second count accused him of obtaining $205,238 from Sayers by falsely claiming that the money was needed to finance a government contract, knowing that the representation was untrue.
Testifying before the court, Sayers, an American lawyer based in Oregon, United States, identified Kingsley as the man who first contacted her on Facebook on her birthday.
“I know the defendant. The defendant messaged me on Facebook on my birthday and he said he was a member of the same spiritual organization as me,” she told the court.
She explained that their conversations gradually developed into a romantic relationship, which made her trust him and believe his claims.
According to the witness, Kingsley later requested financial assistance, claiming that he needed money to facilitate the award of a contract by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. He allegedly told her that some men were threatening his life because he had failed to provide the money required to secure the contract.
Sayers said Kingsley provided details of the purported contract, including a logo and other relevant information, which she believed because of the emotional attachment she had developed towards him.
She told the court that his initial request was for $15,000, which he promised to repay within 45 days. She subsequently transferred the money through a money transfer application.
The witness further disclosed that Kingsley later introduced her to members of his family during a video call, during which they allegedly expressed appreciation for her financial assistance in helping him secure the purported contract.
She said she had transferred about $40,000 to Kingsley before travelling to Nigeria to meet him in person.
According to her testimony, she arrived in Abuja in March 2022 and spent two weeks with the defendant at his rented residence in Sun City, Abuja.
Sayers alleged that Kingsley subsequently made several additional financial requests, claiming that the funds were needed for medical emergencies, surgeries, malaria treatment and supplies for the purported government contract.
She told the court that the requests resulted in more than 125 transactions, with the total amount transferred to Kingsley estimated to have exceeded $200,000 within 12 months.
The witness also testified that Kingsley once presented her with a document which he claimed showed that he had attempted to transfer $10,000 to her.
According to Sayers, he alleged that the bank had intercepted the transaction because the money was linked to the misappropriation of government funds, a situation he claimed had led to his arrest and detention.
She further alleged that Kingsley subsequently requested money for his bail and for bribes connected to the purported criminal case.
Sayers said she repeatedly demanded a refund of her money. She added that Kingsley eventually requested her bank details and promised to make the transfer the following day but failed to fulfil the promise.
She told the court that she eventually realised that Kingsley had no intention of returning the money. She also explained that she continued the relationship partly because she hoped to recover the funds she had transferred to him.
At the conclusion of the prosecution’s case, EFCC counsel, Fatsuma Muhammad, urged the court to convict and sentence the defendant in accordance with the law.
In his judgment, Justice Kekemeke found Kingsley guilty on both counts and sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment on each count, without an option of fine.
The judge further ordered that the sentences run concurrently, alongside the restitution of $205,238 to the victim.
