by Rachel Ogbu

Suspected teenage Internet fraudster, Tobechukwu Igbokwe, and his accomplice, Ifeanyi Obi have been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly defrauding an American of $40 million.

19-year-old Igbokwe and Obi have been held at the Kirikiri prisons since they were caught after a gig went burst.

Nigerian Eye reports that the American victim, Michael Silva had wired the total sum of $40 million to the boys in Nigerian believing them when they told him that they had a huge inheritance that they wanted to move to a foreign account for safekeeping.

Silva was asked to send money to “process” the transfer and he did so in instalments through Western Union Transfer.

Igbokwe and Obi have now been charged on 12-counts bordering on forgery, conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretences contrary to Sections 8(a) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14 of 2006.

Appearing before Justice Lawal of a Lagos State High Court, Ikeja was alleged to have duped many other people, many of them foreigners he connected with through the internet under fraudulent guises among them a Tommy Bedwell, who lost $6,000 to him and Richard Hunt, $15,000.

According to reports, one of the charges against Igbokwe and Obi read: “Tobechukwu Igbokwe (alias David Prince, alias John Emma, sometimes in the month of October 2011 in Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud, obtained $800, $700, $200, $400, $200, $300, $500, $500, $500, $200 (totalling $5,500).

“Which sum you obtained separately from Michael Silva of the United States of America under false pretence that the money represent part payment for processing inheritance funds due him as
a beneficiary of the fund and which pretence you knew was false.”

The case was adjourned for further hearing on December 3.