EFCC Arraigns Brothers Over Alleged N40m Fraud

The EFCC arraigns two brothers accused of defrauding victims of over N40 million, as investigations into the alleged financial misconduct continue.

On Thursday, November 28, 2024, the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought charges against two brothers, Ajim Kerison Onubuogu and Ajim Tochukwu Christian. They are accused of allegedly defrauding an American woman named Chebet Chumba out of $43,850 as well as ₦18,675,133.75.

The defendants faced a four-count charge as they appeared before Justice Mohammed Garba Umar at the Federal High Court in Independence Layout, Enugu State.

The charges encompass criminal impersonation, acquiring funds through fraudulent means, money laundering, and possessing the proceeds of unlawful activities.

The EFCC claims that the pair allegedly misled Chumba into transferring money under false pretenses. The prosecution argued that these actions violated the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, as well as the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.

Count two of the charges states: “Ajim Kerison Onubuogu, between April and July 2023 in Enugu, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, you fraudulently impersonated Chris M. Akaa from Atlanta, GA, USA using a fake Facebook account. Through this deception via computer systems, you acquired $43,850 from Chebet Chumba by sending false love messages for your personal gain. This act constitutes an offense under Section 22 (3) (a) (b) of the Cybercrimes Act 2015 and is punishable according to Section 22 (4) of that same legislation.”

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Charge Count Four states: “Ajim Tochukwu Christian, between March 19, 2023, and May 9, 2024, in Enugu within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria committed a felony by utilizing and possessing Eighteen million Six Hundred Seventy-five Thousand One Hundred Thirty-three Naira Seventy-five Kobo (N18,675,133.75) belonging to Chebet Chumba via your Opay Digital Service Ltd account number 8067016437. You knew these funds were proceeds from an unlawful act. This constitutes an offence under Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act of 2022 as amended and is punishable according to Section 18(3) of the same Act.”

The siblings entered pleas of not guilty as the charges were presented. Following their declarations, EFCC counsel, Assistant Commander ACE II Michael Ikechukwu Ani, requested that the court set a trial date and remand the defendants to the Enugu Correctional Facility.

Justice Umar subsequently postponed the proceedings to January 21, 2025, for a hearing on the bail application. Meanwhile, the defendants were held at a correctional facility.

The defendants were arrested after a petitioner, an American citizen, recounted how she was allegedly scammed out of the specified amounts by them.

Investigations into the case uncovered that the defendants were involved in love scams, operating through multiple fake social media profiles. Authorities also recovered fraudulent documents from their possession.