THE Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted and sentenced a fake spiritualist, Solomon Odigie Moses, to one year imprisonment for defrauding an Indian woman of $1,100 and subsequently blackmailing her with a nude video obtained during a purported spiritual cleansing session.
Justice C.N. Nwabulu handed down the sentence on Tuesday, 8 September 2026, after Moses pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of cheating and impersonating a spiritual leader.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in a statement issued on Thursday, said Moses posed as a spiritualist known as “Dr Solomon” through a fictitious TikTok account and used the platform to lure the Indian national, identified as Sharon Kaur, with promises of spiritual prayers and assistance.
According to the anti-graft agency, Kaur contacted Moses in search of spiritual healing, after which he fraudulently obtained $1,100 from her.
Moses, who was arrested in Ekpoma, Edo State, allegedly received the money through his Zelle payment platform, before the naira equivalent was subsequently paid into his local bank account.
The case, however, took a more serious turn after Moses allegedly deceived the victim into participating in a nude spiritual bath as part of the purported healing process.
The EFCC said Moses secretly recorded the woman during the session without her consent and later used the recording to blackmail her.
He allegedly threatened to release the nude video to the public unless she paid him money.
The victim, according to the commission, was compelled to pay $1,100 to Moses in an attempt to prevent him from making the recording public.
The EFCC said its investigation subsequently established that the money constituted proceeds of the fraudulent and blackmail scheme.
The charge against Moses read in part: “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.”
The commission said the offence contravened Section 321 of the Penal Code Act (Abuja), LFN 1990, and was punishable under Section 322 of the same Act.
Following his guilty plea, prosecution counsel, Maryam Hayatudeen, urged the court to convict and sentence Moses in accordance with the law.
Justice Nwabulu subsequently convicted him and sentenced him to one year in prison, with an option of a N300,000 fine.
The court also ordered that the $1,100 identified as proceeds of crime be forfeited and returned to the victim through the EFCC.
