by Azubuike Azikiwe
Two suspected fraudsters have been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for allegedly defrauding a foreign investor of $7.99 million(N1,308,122,800) under the guise of
This was conveyed to the media through the commission’s spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, who named the suspects as Victor Uwadiale and Captain Nnaji Everest, saying they were arrested separately by the operatives in Festac area and another part Lagos state.
He said Uwadiale was the main suspect, who heads an international fraud syndicate, which defrauds international businessmen seeking investment opportunities in Nigeria. During investigation, Uwadiale reportedly denied meeting or transacting any business with the foreign investor.
He stated, “Uwadiale allegedly invited the investor, a businessman from somewhere in the Middle East, to invest in the flourishing oil sector in Nigeria.”
“Using a pseudo name, Victor Emeka, he made the investor to visit Nigeria and received him at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja and thereafter flew him in a helicopter to a destination where he reportedly met a certain Mr. Grant, a member of the syndicate, who assured him of the credibility of the business arrangement.”
“Convinced that Uwadiale was real and the business promising, the investor started paying money in foreign currency into Uadiale’s offshore accounts where it was laundered into various bank accounts around the globe.”
Uwujaren also disclosed that ‘Barclays bank’ of the United Kingdom and two Nigerian banks were used to facilitate the fraudulent transactions.
“A sum of $ 1.292 million was traced to a Barclay’s Bank in the United Kingdom, account belonging to Captain Nnaji Everest, a member of Uadiale’s syndicate. The sum of N1. 6 million, N1.2 million, £894.79 and $275.30 were traced to Uwadiale’s accounts with one of the new generation banks in Nigeria and another £391.93 to another local bank.”
According to the EFCC, the suspects would soon be charged to court for trial.
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