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Mike Ezuruonye is a Nollywood actor who is popular among Nigerians, especially the women folk. Knowing this, a person impersonated him on Facebook in order to perpetrate a social media scam.
The suspect of this criminal act of impersonation was one Ekoh Noel. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) who investigated the matter discovered that this individual was the face behind the mask that robbed many people through social media and gained N12.4 million through the scam.
Following the investigation and discovery, Ekoh Noel was tried by Justice P.I Ajoku of the Federal High Court in Benin, Edo state. He was found guilty of impersonation and sentenced to one year imprisonment.
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In order to alert the public of this development, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission posted a tweet on their handle which read thus: “Ekoh Noel, who impersonated ace Nollywood actor, Mike Ezuruonye on Facebook to fraudulently obtain N12.4million from his victim has been sentenced to one year in prison by Justice P.I. Ajoku of a Fed High Court, Benin, Edo State.”
Ekoh Noel, who impersonated ace Nollywood actor, Mike Ezuruonye on Facebook to fraudulently obtain N12.4million from his victim has been sentenced to one year in prison by Justice P. I. Ajoku of a Fed High Court, Benin, Edo State. #WeFightForYou https://t.co/ltVpZ6IcV2
— EFCC Nigeria (@officialEFCC) September 24, 2018
Mike Ezurouonye, who had earlier taken to social media to lament the consequence the impersonation had had on him, was very grateful for the effort of the crimes commission in arresting the culprit.
In a recent interview he had, the popular actor talked about how he received several calls and negative feedback from people who threatened him and accosted him as they thought he was the one that scammed them. However, the EFCC district in Benin came to his rescue and for this, he was immensely grateful.
The successful actor said: “It’s so so sad, I have gotten death threats from people, I have gotten from husbands of these people, boyfriends of these people, maybe because of the way I deal with it you know, that’s another thing.
The EFCC in Benin have been so helpful, I mean, it is really really bad. I have seen five people caught. There was a time it was so much the inspector general of police’s office got my account investigated. I was invited to the IGP’s office in Abuja, it was that bad.”
To celebrate their effort, he wrote a comment commending their good work. His appreciative statement went on to be publicized on the Twitter handle of the commission.
“Nollywood actor Mike Ezuruonye commends #TheEagle in Benin for helping to nab impersonators who used his name for romance scams,” quoting Ezuruonye as stating that ‘It’s amazing that these women have come to believe that I am the one. They even use my picture, voice and old videos to defraud people.”
