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Tag: scam

  • Undergraduate gets 18 months community service for love scam

    Undergraduate gets 18 months community service for love scam

    An Ikeja Special Offences Court has sentenced a 20-year-old undergraduate, Mohammed Yunusa to 18 months community service for impersonation.

    Justice Rahman Oshodi sentenced Yunusa  to Ikoyi Correctional Centre, following his guilty plea to a plea bargain agreement.

    The convict was arraigned before the court on an amended information dated October 7, 2024 of impersonation.

    Oshodi, in his judgment, said he had considered the effect of impersonation and cyber crime which damaged Nigeria’s international reputation and harm innocent citizens abroad.

    He also said he had taken into consideration his early guilty plea which demonstrates an act of remorse and also save judicial time and resources.

    “I also note your age and that you are a first time offender. The maximum sentence for your crime under section 380 of the criminal law is three years imprisonment. Considering the factors I identified and particularly the restitution you made of N100,000.

    “However I sentence you to one year and six months of community service with the Lagos  State Community Service Unit which shall provide this court with a report of your activities” he said.

    “You shall also be registered as an offender  in the state.”

    During trial , the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecuting counsel, Ahmad Yerima , presented a witness, Ismail Saifullahi who in his review of facts informed the court that the defendant was arrested during a sting operation at Annex Regional Hotel on June 27, 2024.

    Saifullahi told the court that the convict had in his possession two devices and from which incriminating documents where printed out in his presence and he acknowledged it.

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    He also stated that the defendant in his statement, made with caution, admitted that he was into online dating scam.

    “I’m into online dating scam and Fullz scam and I always carry out my operation online, instagram, facebook and telegram”

    He also confessed to have obtained £364 from his victims.

    The prosecutor further tendered the two devices and documents to the court following no objections from the defence.

    The prosecution also told the court that the convict had restituted the sum of N100,000 to the anti-graft agency.

    According to the prosecutor, the offence contravenes Section 380 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.

    Yerima prayed to the court that the defendant should be convicted and sentenced according to his plea agreement and the devices recovered  be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

  • Peter Okoye threatens to sue banks over alleged scam accounts

    Peter Okoye threatens to sue banks over alleged scam accounts

    PSquare twin, Peter Okoye aka Mr P, has threatened lawsuit against popular banks for allegedly abetting scammers.

    Sharing a collage of the two new generation banks on his Instagram handle, the singer accused them of attempting to ruin his name and brand by allowing unknown individuals open accounts with his name verbatim.

    He also accused them of sabotage and boycotting standard requirements for opening bank accounts, stating such acts could not have been executed without connivance of bank officials.

    He claimed the suspects were already on scamming spree after successfully opening accounts with his name.

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    Mr P wrote: “Enough is Enough!!!

    “It’s either it’s an inside job or otherwise! I have a name to protect here and save some of this innocent victims! So get ready for me and my legal team!

    “How can @polarisbankltd allow someone to open an account in the name of “PETER OKOYE PSQUARE” and @myaccessbank you also allowed someone open an account name “PETER OKOYE PSQUARE” without valid means of identification, no biometrics, no BVN, no verified address or even utility bill to correspond with the address of the account owner.

    “Now they are using my name to scam innocent people! I am Suing this Banks for damages and calling them out! One after the other! @officialefcc take note! Enough is enough! Calling out more banks!”

  • Senate to publish names of firms in alleged N30tr scam

    Senate to publish names of firms in alleged N30tr scam

    The Senate says it is set to publish names of companies found culpable in investigation into alleged N30 trillion revenue scam in the import and export value chain.

    Chairman of the Joint Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff and Marine Transport Senator Hope Uzodinma made this known in an interview with reporters yesterday.

    He said the committee had completed its first batch of investigation involving over 60 companies and would publish names of companies involved in various infractions leading to loss of government revenue.

    He said the committee was releasing the names because it had established culpability against the companies.

    Uzodinma added that the names to be published would contain details of how much of recoverable government revenue was with each of the companies.

    The lawmaker stressed that companies found to be involved in infractions bothering on money laundering and foreign exchange abuses would be referred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for prosecution and recovery of the monies.

    He added that those bothering on smuggling and import infractions would be referred to the Nigeria Customs Service for recovery of such revenues and possibly blacklisting.

    Uzodinma said: “We got up to the point that even the companies themselves have seen that they are culpable and that is why we want to publish the names and hand them over to EFCC and Customs.

    “The reason for the delay in publishing the names all the while is to establish culpability against the companies.

    “Now through various reconciliations, it has been established and we are no longer in doubt, including the companies that are involved, that these things are in existence and that they are culpable.

    “We have presented the interim report which detailed how much we have recovered so far and the Senate approved it in plenary, while an extension was given to us to do the final reconciliation.”

  • Senate vows to continue investigation into alleged N30tn revenue scam despite blackmail

    The Senate will continue ongoing investigation into the alleged N30 trillion  revenue scam in the import and export chain, the Chairman its Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff and Marine Transport said yesterday.

    Committee Chairman Hope Uzodinma told reporters shortly after meeting with some of the affected companies on Wednesday in Abuja.

    He said the interest of the Senate in the investigation was to assist the government to recover monies trapped in the import and export chain.

    ”There are allegations that the investigation is borne out of personal interest.

    ”Once a Senate in a committee of the whole passes a resolution such as this it cannot be termed as the decision of a single senator.

    ”You may not like my face as a person but it is important to look at the credibility of the work we are doing.

    ”This is so that together we will succeed in making sure that the import export circle is sanitised, trade is facilitated and non-oil revenue is recovered and strengthened.

    ”In that manner,  government will not rely so much on oil and with that whether crude oil is sold or not,” he said.

    He further said that while some detractors had alleged that the investigation was a sham, some of the indicted companies had started refunding money running into billions of Naira to the Federal Government

    ”As a result of this investigation the banks which are the authorised dealers in the export and import chain have been making effort to remit everything collected by them to the Central Bank.

    ”We are doing this on a friendly note because we do not want to send a wrong signal to the market.

    ”Although more funds other than the N120bn I announced some time ago have been recovered but  because we do not want to send the wrong signal we are limited to speak further on how much has been recovered so far.

    ”However, we will definitely come up with the figures recovered at the end of the investigation, ” he said.

    Uzodinma explained that the committee was saving the figures till the end of the investigation because some of the companies were quoted on the Capital Market and would not want to  send panic to the market.

    He also explained  that the committee resorted to interfacing with individual  companies rather than meeting with them in group,  adding that the strategy had  yielded positive result.

    He said” the companies are now free to admit and some of them have promised to make payments.

  • Kano scholarship scheme a scam, says anti-graft boss

    The Executive Chairman of Kano State Anti-Corruption and Public Complaints Commission, Muhuyi Magaji, has described the foreign scholarship scheme initiated by the administration of former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso as a scam.

    Muhuyi, who addressed reporters in his office, said the scholarship could better be described as a colossal fraud.

    According to him, investigations by the commission over the sponsorship of Kano students to Egypt, showed that a former commissioner and permanent secretary (names withheld) in the last administration, conspired with a consultant to allegedly defraud the state.

    He said: “From the evidence at our disposal, there are some people, who are directly or indirectly benefiting from the said funds here in Kano, and are trying to ensure status quo is maintained to cover their atrocities.

    “It is the opinion of this commission that the entire scholarship process is fraudulent, and the perpetrators are continually making moves to cover their atrocities.”

    The anti-graft boss lamented that effort by the commission to dissuade the government to stop the scheme, to rescue it from losing money, were unsuccessful.

    Following this development, the commission, in partnership with Interpol and other relevant agencies, is working to retrieve the money paid for the scheme.

    According to him, over $600,000 was paid to a supposed consultant, which was later discovered to be money laundered as kick back to some beneficiaries.

    He said it was time to end the massive looting of public funds under the guise of foreign studies package, noting that most of the courses studied abroad were available in Nigerian universities.

    Muhuyi advised the government to scrap the scholarship scheme to avert further siphoning of scarce resources.

  • Alleged $40m contract scam: Court to resume Jonathan’s cousin’s trial July 7

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled July 7 for the resumption of proceedings in the trial of a cousin to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Robert Azibaola.

    Azibaola, his wife, Stella and a firm linked with them – One Plus Holdings – are accused, among others, of diverting $40 million transferred from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to the domiciliary account of One Plus Holdings, purportedly for the supply of “tactical communication kits for special forces”.

    Proceedings were cut short on Friday, when, mid-way into trial, lead prosecuting lawyer, Sylvanus Tahir, sought the court’s permission to attend to another case in another court.

    At the start of proceedings, Tahir invited the prosecution’s 10th witness, David Nkpe, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), who gave details of his investigation of the case.

    Nkpe said analysis of documents relating to One Plus Holdings Nigeria Ltd showed that the firm received $40 million from ONSA, following which investigation was extended to ONSA to ascertain why the payment was made.

    The witness said: “EFCC wrote to ONSA to avail them with documents regarding the payment mandate and the reply came. The payment for that particular mandate was for the ‘supply of tactical communication kits for special forces’.

    “We investigated the utilisation of the funds and discovered that the funds were transferred to other companies, including bureau de change and some of the funds transferred offshore to countries like London and United Arab Emirates.”

    On who the beneficiaries of the transferred funds were, the witness said: “There were several of them, but I remember that $6.6 mmillion was transferred to a company called Karahyna between October 2014 and April 2015, which was specifically done in eight tranches.

    “I also recall that the sum of $1.5 million was transferred to Reya Telecommunication’ which is a company under One Plus Holdings group.

    “Another sum of $1.493 million was transferred to Kakatar El Ltd, which is also a company under One Plus Holdings. A sum of $2 million was transferred to Capitafield Investment Ltd and another $330,000 transferred to a company called Teledom.

    “Most of the companies that received the money did not supply any goods,” Nkpe said.

    He said credit balance in the 3rd defendant’s account (One Plus Holdings’) before the $40 million was paid into it was $17,277.50.

    Nkpe said further analysis of the account on September 9, 2014, showed that the $40 million was the only major inflow into the account and from the time of receipt, and that all the transactions in the account were outflows, which is the distribution of the $40 million.

    Tahir later tendered documents, including petition from the ONSA to EFCC as exhibit ASO 16 (1&2); search warrant dated March 23, 2016; two power of attorney as exhibit ASO 18a &18b; deed of assignment as exhibit ASO 19a, 19b, 19c; transfer mandate from One Plus Holdings to Zenith Bank as ASO 20 (1-39); the two statement of the first defendant dated March 23 & 24, 2016 marked as exhibit ASO 21a & ASO 21b.

    The defence team, led by Chris Uche (SAN), objected to the admission of the documents, arguing among others, that they (the documents) were not listed in the proof of evidence and served on the defendants as required.

    Trial judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba later stood the case down for one hour to enable the prosecution furnish the defendants with copies of the documents it sought to tender.

    When proceedings later resumed, Tahir sought the court’s permission to attend to another case in another court.

    Tahir said: “My Lord, I am in a difficult situation again just as I was on Wednesday and I need your authorisation to leave this matter and attend to another one in another court.”

    Although Justice Dimgba later granted Tahir’s request, he (the judge) wondered why the prosecution did not come prepared to go on with the case after two adjournments in a week.

    He subsequently adjourned to July 7.

  • $5 million scam: FBI declares Nigerian wanted

    $5 million scam: FBI declares Nigerian wanted

    The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has declared wanted a man with Nigerian origin, Kelechi Declan James, for allegedly scamming victim of more than $5 million.
    A statement on FBI website reads: “FBI agents are looking for the public’s assistance in locating Kelechi Declan James. He has federal criminal charges against him from an investigation by FBI New York’s Cyber Crime Task Force.” “James is known to frequent the Brooklyn neighborhoods of East New York (Crescent Street and Loring Avenue; Vermont Street between Blake Avenue and Dumont Avenue), Brownsville, Bedford-Stuyvesant (MacDougal and Hull Streets), Crown Heights (Park Place and Utica Avenue), Flatbush (E 29th and Avenue D), and East Flatbush (East 51st and Winthrop Street). The FBI is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest.
    “James is 32 years old, 6’0” tall, and approximately 175 pounds. He is a Nigerian national, has brown eyes and black hair, and may have a beard. Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of James is urged to contact law enforcement immediately. The FBI can be reached 24 hours a day at (212) 384-1000. He is not considered to be violent in nature.
    “As alleged in a complaint sworn out of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, James, along with four other co-conspirators, ran a business e-mail compromise scheme that resulted victim losses of more than $5 million for their victims.
    “As part of scheme, James and his co-conspirators defrauded victims across the U.S. by tricking them into wiring money to bank accounts the victims believed were owned by family members, friends, or business associates. They did this in two ways: by overtaking an e-mail account of an individual trusted by the victim and then requesting money be wired to a bank account; or by developing a relationship of trust with victim like an Internet romance and then asking the victim to wire money.
    “As soon as the money was wired, it would be moved from one account to another, and the funds would be withdrawn. James’s role in this scheme was to withdraw the money from bank accounts.”

  • Cancer patient’s family deny fundraising scam claim

    Cancer patient’s family deny fundraising scam claim

    The family of Mayowa Ahmed, a Nigerian woman who raised over N60 million to fight cancer, has decried claims by a blog that they set up the fraud to scam people.

    The blog on Thursday published that the family had been told by the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) that at Stage 4 of her cancer, there was no longer hope for her but to wait to die yet went ahead to raise millions of naira locally and up to 100,000 dollars through gofundme.

    It was also reported that Nollywood actress, Toyin Aimakhu, who helped with the fundraising, visited LUTH with police men to arrest the alleged scammers.
    A source said the effort raised about N64million for the 29-year old woman who suffers from ovarian cancer.
    However, the family in a statement, noted that despite LUTH’s verdict, they would not give up on Mayowa.
    They noted that efforts are being made to fly her to Abu Dhabi by next week.
    The statement reads: “We have been called by friends, family that our raising funds for Mayo is a scam. We were also informed that some persons had made statements concerning her state and her ability to pull through this ordeal.
    “As a family we wish to make these affirmative statements:
    · Mayowa is presently in LUTH receiving treatments that will prepare her for seven-hour trip to Abu Dhabi. We have also engaged the services of the Flying Doctors to accompany her on the trip based on recommendation by the Doctors in LUTH.
    · Mayowa is receiving treatment in LUTH to allow her be able to travel as advised by the Doctors in LUTH and she has been transfused to help improve her PCV.
    · The funds are solely for Mayowa’ s treatment and for no other reason.
    · We await her Visa for travel documents to commence the journey as we are in touch with the doctors abroad and they are awaiting her arrival.
    “We appreciate the contributions made by Nigerians on this journey. Mayowa will live to tell this story and you shall be one of the audiences by His grace.”
    When The Nation put a call through to Mayowa’s sister, Tope, it was answered by a family friend, Saheed Badmus, who described Linda Ikeji’s claim as false.
    He said the family only got to know Mayowa’s ailment was cancer about a month ago after about a year of regular tests at LUTH and the Reddington Hospital and are continuing with medical treatment because Mayowa’s wish to fight for her life.
    “The true story is that the girl is very sick. She was in my house in March and up till that time LUTH and Reddington could not give us the cause of her sickness.
    “It is not as if the family knew she had cancer like three or four months ago. We just learnt about the cancer last month because LUTH and Reddington could not give us a diagnosis from the results of the tests they had been conducting since last year. They are the major cause why we are in this situation. We had to send the test results abroad before we were told she had ovarian cancer.
    “The girl said she doesn’t want to die like this. She is not giving up on herself. It is not like the hospital she is going to in (Abu Dhabi) is promising a miracle. But they can take care of her.
    “Linda Ikeji is not being open-minded. Watch her (Mayowa’s) videos. She says she just wants a chance to live,” he said.
    Badmus also told this reporter that he was the one that urged the family to seek help from the public in their struggle to save their daughter’s life.
    “The family does not want thi publicity. I was the one that said they should seek support. They are not hungry people without jobs. But I advised them that with the enormity of the problem, they should seek help,” he said.
    Another source close to Mayowa’s sister (names withheld), defended the family, saying she demonstrated integrity when they were in school together.
    She added that one dose of injection for Mayowa’s treatment costs up to N4million.
    She said Linda likely published the post because people normally give up when cancer gets to advanced stage.
    “Linda Ikeji is going based on the stage of her ailment and the theory that once it’s stage IV there is no remedy and that is not true. It all depends on how much money you have to treat yourself; and most especially God’s grace,” she said.

  • Islamic cleric jailed for N340,000 scam

    An Igbosere Magistrate’s Court in Lagos has sentenced a self-styled Islamic cleric, Alhaji Ibrahim Ahamido, 47, to one year imprisonment for obtaining N340,000 from a woman under false pretence.

    The court also ordered him to return N240,000 to Sarah Moses after pleading guilty to the charge.

    He was arraigned on February 23 alongside his alleged girlfriend, Hawa Musa, 35, who pleaded not guilty. She was granted N100,000 bail by Magistrate J.O.A. Adepoju, with two sureties in the like sum. Hawa is expected back in court today.

    Before he was convicted last Wednesday, Ahamido tried to change his plea to not guilty. He claimed he did not understand the charge that was read to him on February 23.

    But, prosecuting Sergeant Cyriacus Osuji objected, saying: “Not only did the defendant admit the facts, he stated that out of the N340,000 defrauded, he gave N100,000 to the second defendant, his girlfriend. This he admitted orally. He also admitted that the statement he made was his.

    “It is too late in the day for him to change his plea as he has already admitted both before the court and in his confessional statement. It is also too late for him to retract his statement.”

    Magistrate Adepoju upheld Osuji’s submission and sentenced Ahamido.

    Last February 22, at Marwa Waterside, Lekki, in Eti-Osa Local Government Area, Ahamido cajoled Moses that he had supernatural ability to multiply her money.

    She initially doubted him but believed him after her son, who was in police custody, was freed after Ahamido prepared a concoction for her.

    She then handed over N340, 000 to Ahamido, who promised to boost her business by turning the money to N5 million. He told her to check under her pillow on her return from a trip abroad, that the object placed there would have become N5 million.

    When that didn’t work, he obtained another N9,000 from her for the same purpose but that failed too and he absconded with the cash, after allegedly giving Hawa N100,000.

    Ahamido and his girlfriend were arrested after she reported to the police.

  • N5.2b ‘scam’: Borishade fails to stop trial

    Former Aviation Minister Babalola Aborishade failed yesterday in a bid to truncate his trial before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Maitama, Abuja.

    Aborishade is on trial with his ex-personal assistant, Tunde Dairo; ex-Managing Director of Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Rowland Iyayi; an Australian, George Eider and a firm, Avsatel Communications Limited.

    They were arraigned on November 19, 2009 for allegedly mismanaging a N5.2 billion Aviation Safe Tower contract.

    Yesterday, Justice Abubakar Sadiq Umar refused an application by lawyers to Aborishade and others, Kehinde Ogunwumiju and Regina Okotie-Eboh that the case be struck out on the grounds that the prosecution was not diligent with the trial.

    Justice Umar held yesterday that the withdrawal of a private lawyer engaged to prosecute the case on behalf of the government did not constitute an abandonment or lack of appearance of the prosecution.

    He refused defence lawyers’ application that the court should foreclose or discharge the defendants.

    The judge ordered the prosecution to continue. New prosecution lawyer Chime Okoroma presented his 10th witness, Reuben Omonigho, an operative with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Ogunwumiju objected, arguing that the witness had testified, saying it was defence turn to cross-examine him.

    The judge agreed, and later requested him to cross-examine the witness, a task he turned down and begged for time to prepare.

    Ogunwumiju said the court was yet to furnish him with its record of proceedings, which he had applied for.

    “We cannot afford to take chances with our own records, we need to be guided by the court”, Ogunwumiju said.