LAGOS, Nigeria – April 22, 2025 — Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has sentenced Tobor Efeturi Godspower to eight years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of impersonation and cyber fraud.
Godspower was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a two-count charge under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015.
According to court documents, Godspower impersonated a fictitious U.S. military officer, “Stephen Townsend,” claiming to be stationed in Syria, in order to defraud unsuspecting victims. He also posed as the manager of a crypto account in the name “Rosemarie Altez.”
“That you, Tobor Efeturi Godspower, on or about October 24, 2024, fraudulently impersonated one ‘Stephen Townsend’, purporting to be a military man stationed in Syria,” the charge read.
Godspower pleaded guilty to both charges. In response, prosecuting counsel S.I. Suleiman presented the court with multiple exhibits, including:
The defendant’s written confessions dated October 28 and 30, and November 1, 4, and 6, 2024
A Toshiba laptop, iPhone 13 Pro Max, and iPhone 11 Pro Max
A Casio wristwatch
Fraudulent documents recovered from his devices
$300 in restitution already paid by the defendant
Justice Aluko found Godspower guilty on both counts and sentenced him to four years imprisonment per count, to run concurrently. He also gave the convict an option of ₦600,000 fine per count (₦1.2 million total).
In addition, all items recovered during the investigation were forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Godspower was convicted for cyber impersonation, in which he assumed a false identity and created fake narratives to swindle individuals online — a tactic frequently used in romance scams and crypto fraud schemes.
