Solomon Odigie Moses, also known as Dr. Solomon, has been sentenced to one year in prison by Justice C.N. Nwabulu of the Federal High Court in Abuja. He pleaded guilty to a charge of cheating and impersonating a spiritual leader online to defraud an Indian woman, Sharon Kaur, of $1,100. Moses created a fictitious TikTok account where he posed as a spiritual healer and promised Kaur spiritual assistance, convincing her to pay the amount through the Zelle payment platform. The funds were converted to Naira and deposited into his local bank account.
After receiving the money, Moses instructed Kaur to take a naked spiritual bath, which he recorded without her consent. He then used the footage to blackmail her, threatening to release the video unless she paid more. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigated and confirmed she paid $1,100 to prevent the video from going public. During sentencing, prosecution counsel Maryam Hayatudeen urged the court to impose a penalty, leading to the one-year jail term with an option of a N300,000 fine. The court also ordered the $1,100 to be forfeited to Kaur through the EFCC.
A man claiming to be a spiritual healer online was jailed after using a fabricated identity to extract money and intimate content from a foreign woman. The case shows how digital platforms can be weaponised for fraud and coercion, even when victims pay to avoid further harm. Since the court ordered restitution, the focus now is whether the victim will actually receive the $1,100 through EFCC channels.
Editorial note: AI-assisted opinion. All persons mentioned are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Full disclaimer →
