Forged licence: Witness reveals how suspect duped US investors of $525,000

A Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has heard how an alleged fraud involving over $525,000 was carried out using a forged mining licence, as the trial of Victor Ekpong Thompson continued.

Testifying as the second prosecution witness, Michael Eyo told the court, presided over by Justice Maurine Adaobi Onyetenu, that the defendant obtained a copy of his genuine mining licence under false pretences and used it to deceive foreign investors.

Eyo said Thompson approached him to verify the authenticity of his licence, but instead photographed the document and later passed it off as his own to secure investment.

“He asked me to bring the original licence for verification. Unknown to me, he took photographs of it and used them to convince investors,” the witness told the court.

Thompson is facing an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, advance fee fraud, criminal breach of trust, misappropriation and stealing. He was first arraigned on January 29, 2026, and pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The prosecution alleges that between January and June 2025, Thompson fraudulently obtained funds from three American investors—Tammy Jensen, Kenneth Blad and Peter Jensen—under the pretext of investing in a mining venture and a proposed deep sea port project.

One of the charges states that he obtained over $123,000 from the investors through false representations, in violation of the Advance Fee Fraud and Related Offences Act, 2006.

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Earlier in the trial, Jensen told the court that she met Thompson on Facebook in 2022, where he presented himself as a dealer in precious stones. She said he later convinced her and other investors to fund a mining project under a company named Arch Royale Projects Limited, as well as a purported multi-billion-dollar port project in Akwa Ibom State.

According to her, the investors transferred a total of $525,276 to Thompson between 2023 and 2025 through various financial platforms. However, a visit to Nigeria in June 2025 revealed that the projects were non-existent.

Investigations further showed that the company used to attract the investment was not registered at the time and that much of the funds was allegedly diverted for personal use.

Assets reportedly traced to the defendant include a duplex in Uyo, a Toyota Hilux vehicle and a Lexus RX350.

At the hearing, defence counsel Madu Uwem Amamko urged the court to grant bail to the defendant on health grounds, but the prosecution opposed the application, arguing there was no evidence his condition was life-threatening.

Justice Onyetenu adjourned ruling on the bail application to June 8, 2026, while the trial is expected to continue.