The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has continued its crackdown on financial crimes, as its operatives took legal action in Maiduguri and made fresh arrests in Bauchi.
Woman Docked in Maiduguri for Alleged Romance Scam
The Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the EFCC on Monday, March 17, 2025, arraigned one Catherine Ijeoma Ugwu before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri, over an alleged N6.8 million romance scam.
Ugwu was charged with four counts bordering on obtaining by false pretenses, criminal misappropriation, and impersonation.
According to the EFCC, she allegedly defrauded one Emmanuel Ani by posing as his fiancée and collecting money under false pretenses.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Catherine Ijeoma Ugwu, between June 2023 and August 2024 in Maiduguri, Borno State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the aggregate sum of N6,710,300.00 (Six Million Seven Hundred and Ten Thousand Three Hundred Naira) from Emmanuel Ani into your bank account domiciled with Access Bank Plc., under the pretense that the money was for the upkeep of his purported fiancée, one Miss Chinansa, which you knew to be false, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.”
However, when the charges were read, the defendant pleaded not guilty. Following this, prosecution counsels S.O. Saka and Faruku Muhammad requested a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendant in a correctional facility.
Justice Kumaliya subsequently adjourned the case to April 8, 2025, for trial and ordered that Ugwu be remanded in a correctional center.
In addition, investigations revealed that Ugwu allegedly obtained a total sum of N6,815,300 while pretending to be the fiancée of the petitioner.
However, when confronted, she was unable to provide a refund or explain how the money was used.
EFCC Arrests 21 Suspected Internet Fraudsters in Bauchi
Meanwhile, in a separate operation, operatives of EFCC’s Gombe Zonal Directorate arrested 21 suspected internet fraudsters in Bauchi on Saturday, March 15, 2025.
The suspects were apprehended following credible intelligence linking them to internet-related fraud. They were arrested at Kaure New Government Reservation Area (GRA) and Awala, along Maiduguri Road in Bauchi State.
During the operation, law enforcement officers recovered several items from the suspects, including: One BMW and one Toyota Camry, three playStation 5 consoles, 30 expensive smartphones, one flat-screen television, six Point-of-Sale (POS) machines, four iPads, and five laptops.
The EFCC has confirmed that investigations are ongoing, and the suspects will be charged to court as soon as inquiries are concluded.
