From Birthday Romance to $205,238 Fraud: How Nigerian Conman Duped American Lawyer, Bags Seven Years in Jail

…Victim recounts 125 money transfers, fake government contract, fabricated emergencies and desperate journey to Abuja to recover her money

What began as an innocent birthday greeting on Facebook blossomed into a long-distance romance, a journey across the Atlantic and a devastating financial nightmare for an American lawyer who lost $205,238 (₦276,209,300.40) to a Nigerian fraudster posing as a government contractor.

The elaborate deception, which involved a fictitious Federal Government contract, alleged threats to life, fabricated medical emergencies and more than 125 financial transactions, ended on Thursday, October 29, 2026, when an Abuja court sentenced the man behind the scheme, Nwachi Chidozie Kingsley, to seven years in prison.

Justice U.P. Kekemeke of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja, convicted Kingsley on two counts bordering on possession of a document containing false pretence and obtaining money under false pretence.

The judge sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment on each count, without an option of fine, but ordered that the sentences run concurrently at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja.

The court also directed the convict to refund the entire $205,238 to his victim, Nicole Kierulff Sayers, an Oregon-based American lawyer whose testimony exposed the extraordinary web of emotional manipulation and financial deception.

A Birthday Message That Changed Everything
According to evidence presented before the court, the relationship began when Kingsley contacted Sayers on Facebook on her birthday, introducing himself as a member of the same spiritual organisation to which she belonged.

The seemingly harmless interaction gradually developed into a romantic relationship, with Kingsley cultivating her trust before introducing the financial demands that would eventually drain her resources.

“I know the defendant. The defendant messaged me on Facebook on my birthday and he said he was a member of the same spiritual organization as me,” Sayers told the court.

As their relationship deepened, Kingsley allegedly presented himself as a businessman on the verge of securing a lucrative contract from Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.

He claimed that he urgently needed financial assistance to facilitate the contract and that his life was in danger because certain individuals were threatening him over his inability to raise the required funds.

To make his story convincing, he allegedly supplied documents bearing official-looking information, including a purported contract award notice and a government ministry logo.

Sayers testified that her emotional attachment to Kingsley made her believe his representations.

The First $15,000 and a Promise of Repayment
The financial exploitation reportedly began with a request for $15,000.

Kingsley allegedly assured Sayers that the money was needed to facilitate the government contract and promised to repay her within 45 days.

Trusting his assurances, she transferred the money through a money transfer application.
But the promised repayment never materialised.
Instead, according to her testimony, the requests multiplied.

In what appeared to be an attempt to strengthen the relationship and establish credibility, Kingsley allegedly introduced Sayers to members of his family during a video call.
The family members reportedly thanked her for helping him secure the purported contract.

By the time Sayers decided to travel to Nigeria to meet the man she believed was her romantic partner, she had already transferred approximately $40,000 to him.

American Lawyer Travels to Abuja
In March 2022, Sayers travelled thousands of kilometres from Oregon to Abuja, hoping to meet Kingsley in person and resolve the mounting financial uncertainty surrounding their relationship.

She spent two weeks with him at his rented residence in Sun City, Abuja.

However, rather than bringing an end to the financial demands, the visit became another chapter in the prolonged ordeal.

Sayers told the court that she continued the relationship partly because she desperately wanted to recover the money she had already advanced.

Her testimony revealed how the promise of repayment became a powerful instrument for sustaining the deception.

From Government Contract to Medical Emergencies
As the relationship continued, Kingsley allegedly devised fresh explanations for his persistent demands for money.
The supposed government contract remained central to the story, but additional emergencies began to emerge.

He allegedly requested funds for surgeries, malaria treatment, medical emergencies and the purchase of materials required to execute the purported contract.

Sayers testified that the requests resulted in more than 125 financial transactions over approximately 12 months.
By her estimation, she had transferred well over $200,000 to Kingsley during that period.

The amount established in the prosecution’s case was $205,238.

The Fake Bank Transfer and Alleged Arrest
In another twist, Kingsley allegedly attempted to convince Sayers that he had begun making arrangements to repay her.
He reportedly presented a document purporting to show that he had attempted to transfer $10,000 to her account.
However, he claimed that the transaction had been intercepted by a bank because the funds were allegedly connected to the misappropriation of government money.

He further claimed that the development had resulted in his arrest and detention.

According to Sayers, Kingsley subsequently requested more money, purportedly to secure his bail and pay bribes connected with the alleged criminal investigation.

The claims, which formed part of her testimony, added another layer to the deception that had already cost her a substantial amount of money.

Eventually, Sayers became increasingly insistent that Kingsley refund her money.
She told the court that he requested her bank details and promised to make a transfer the following day.

The promised payment never arrived.
It was then, she said, that she finally realised he had no intention of returning her money.

EFCC Prosecution Exposes Fake Contract
Following investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kingsley was prosecuted on a two-count amended charge.
One count concerned his possession of a purported notice of intent to award a contract, allegedly issued in his name by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.

The prosecution maintained that the document was fraudulent.

The second count accused him of obtaining $205,238 from Sayers by falsely representing that the money was required to finance a government contract.

The EFCC argued that Kingsley knew the representations were false when he made them.

During the trial, Sayers gave detailed evidence of how their relationship began, the representations Kingsley made, the financial transactions and her unsuccessful attempts to recover the money.

At the conclusion of the prosecution’s case, EFCC counsel, Fatsuma Muhammad, urged the court to convict the defendant and impose the appropriate punishment.

Justice Kekemeke subsequently found Kingsley guilty on both counts.

Seven Years Behind Bars, $205,238 Restitution
In his judgment, Justice Kekemeke imposed a seven-year prison term on each count, with no option of fine.

However, because the sentences are to run concurrently, Kingsley will serve an effective prison term of seven years, subject to applicable laws governing the execution of sentences.

The judge also ordered him to restitute Sayers in the sum of $205,238.

Although the restitution order represents a significant legal victory for the victim, the EFCC statement did not indicate whether any of the stolen funds had been recovered or whether Kingsley possessed assets sufficient to satisfy the judgment.

The conviction brings a judicial conclusion to a case that began with a birthday greeting on social media and developed into an elaborate fraud involving romance, fabricated official documents and repeated appeals for financial assistance.

For Sayers, the ordeal illustrates the devastating consequences of a relationship in which emotional trust was systematically exploited for financial gain.

For Kingsley, the promises of love, lucrative contracts and imminent repayment have ended not in wealth, but behind the walls of Kuje Correctional Centre.

The EFCC confirmed the conviction in a statement issued on Thursday by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale.