A Federal High Court in Uyo has heard how a forged mining licence was allegedly used to defraud American investors of over $525,000, as the trial of Victor Ekpong Thompson continued on 21 May 2026.
Testifying as the second prosecution witness, Michael Eyo told 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 asked him to bring the original licence for verification but instead photographed the document and later presented it 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 faces eight counts of conspiracy, advance fee fraud, criminal breach of trust, misappropriation, and stealing. He was first arraigned on 29 January 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 in Akwa Ibom State.
One of the charges states that he obtained over $123,000 from the investors through false representations, contrary to the Advance Fee Fraud and Related Offences Act, 2006.
Earlier in the trial, Jensen told the court 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, and a purported multi-billion-dollar port project.
According to her, the investors transferred a total of $525,276 to Thompson between 2023 and 2025 through various financial platforms. A visit to Nigeria in June 2025 revealed that the projects did not exist.
Investigations showed the company used to attract the investment was not registered at the time, and 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 applied for bail on health grounds, but the prosecution opposed the application, arguing there was no evidence the condition was life-threatening.
Justice Onyetenu adjourned ruling on the bail application to 8 June 2026. The trial is expected to continue on that date.
