Four members of a daring syndicate of internet ‘fraudsters’ have been arrested after they defrauded a 60 year-old American lady using a cloned document of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as well as the forged signature of its acting chairman, Ibrahim Magu.
The fifth scammer worked independently, trying to use Magu’s name to wheedle money out of directors of the Niger Delta Development Commission. He was nabbed in Port Harcourt, while members of the four-man gang were arrested in Delta state.
The four-man gang was smashed today in a carefully coordinated operation in Delta state by the Benin Zonal office of the Commission.
The arrested suspects are: Onoghere Romina ( aka Pastor Joseph Romeo), Emoregan Fidelis Kelly ( aka Williams Brian), Sunday Obi (aka Stuart Symington.) and Remember Akpobome.
The four men were arrested sequel to intelligence obtained from their victim, Patricia Dewan Walker.
They were alleged to have defrauded Walker of an aggregate sum of $850,000 in dating scam. The syndicate started milking Walker in 2014, when they first defrauded her of $375,163.63.
To further hoodwink Walker to part with more money, the syndicate in 2017 forwarded forged documents and letters, including a fake letter of guarantee from EFCC, purportedly signed by the chairman, Ibrahim Magu and one Yomi Balogun whom they claimed is the Head of Operations, Lagos.
In the said letter, the syndicate told their victim to pay $157,000 in order to receive “your consignment boxes in our custody of $10 million and another $3 million deposited in our office few days ago by OFAC”.
Items recovered from the suspects include forged documents, including ‘Payment Guarantee’ from the Office of the President of Nigeria and mobile phones.
The suspects, who have confessed to the crime, will be charged to court as soon as investigations are completed.
The Port Harcourt Zonal office of the Commission today arrested a fake ‘IBRAHIM MAGU’ who has been using the name of the EFCC boss to harass and blackmail bigwigs at the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, for bribes to ‘Kill’ phantom corruption investigations.
Robert Swem Terfa was arrested in Juanita Hotel, Port Harcourt, Rivers State where he was holding a meeting with some Directors of the NDDC over a phoney offer, to remove their names from the list of individuals being investigated by the EFCC.
The impostor allegedly contacted the Directors claiming to be representing the EFCC Chairman. He reminded them of the forensic audit of the accounts of the NDDC ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari and assured them that their names would be removed from the audit.
He would be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
