Court jails fake spiritualist for sextortion in Abuja

The fake spiritualist, Solomon Moses. Photo: EFCC

A Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted and sentenced a fake spiritualist, Solomon Moses, to one year imprisonment for defrauding an Indian woman seeking spiritual healing and subsequently blackmailing her with a nude video.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission disclosed this in a statement posted on its official X account on Thursday.

According to the EFCC, Justice C.N. Nwabulu convicted Moses on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, after he pleaded guilty to a one-count charge bordering on cheating and impersonation as a spiritualist.

The commission said Moses defrauded the woman, identified as Sharon Kaur, of $1,100 after posing as a spiritual leader on a fictitious TikTok account.

The statement said Moses, who was arrested in Ekpoma, Edo State, received and laundered the money through his Zelle payment platform, after which the naira equivalent was paid into his local bank account.

The EFCC said the convict subsequently deceived the victim into taking a naked spiritual bath, which he recorded live without her consent, before using the video to blackmail her.

According to the commission, Moses threatened to make the video public unless the woman sent him money.

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The EFCC said its investigation established that the victim eventually paid $1,100 to the convict to prevent him from releasing the video of her nudity.

The charge against Moses read: “That you Solomon Odigie Moses(A.K.A DR SOLOMON) sometimes in 2026 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did fraudulently impersonate a spiritual leader named Dr. Solomon on a fictitious Tiktok account and obtained the sum of $1100(One Thousand One Hundred Dollars) from an Indian lady by name Sharon Kaur, for the purpose of spiritual prayer and assistance, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code Act(Abuja)LLFN, 1990 and punishable under Section 322 of the same Act.”

Moses pleaded “guilty” to the charge, following which the prosecution counsel, Maryam Hayatudeen, urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.

In his ruling, Justice Nwabulu convicted Moses and sentenced him to one year imprisonment, with an option of a N300,000 fine. The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the $1,100 proceeds of crime to the victim through the EFCC.

The case is the latest example of online fraud schemes involving impersonation and the exploitation of unsuspecting victims through social media platforms.

In recent years, the EFCC has intensified its prosecution of internet-related fraud, including cases involving romance scams, impersonation, sextortion and other forms of cyber-enabled financial crime.

The commission has repeatedly warned members of the public against engaging with fraudulent online personas and urged victims of internet-enabled crimes to report such activities to law enforcement authorities.