EFCC Arraigns Internet Romeo for £54,324 Fraud

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) monday arraigned Obiechina Chikeluba (aka Lisa T. Jackson) before Justice O. A. Ipaye of the High Court in Lagos State on a 17-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, impersonation, forgery and using false documents.

A statement by the agency’s spokesman Wilson Uwujaren said Chikeluba, who met his victim on Facebook using the false identity Lisa T. Jackson, a United States citizen, had been making monetary demands from his victims, using various guises.

“In one such instance in March 2013, he obtained the total sum of £54,324.59 from one K. Oaks through Western Union on the pretext that he was an American woman dealing in Gold in Nigeria and needed money to increase her capital. The unsuspecting victim paid, having already agreed to marry the conman,” the statement said.

When the charges were read to the defendant, he pleaded not guilty.
In view of the plea of the accused, prosecution counsel Andrew Akoja asked for a trial date and prayed the court to remand the defendant in prison custody.

The defence counsel Chijioke Agu informed the court that he had already filed an application for bail and asked to be allowed to move his application.

However, Justice Ipaye adjourned the matter to July 20 for hearing of bail application and ordered that the defendant be remanded in custody.

Chikeluba, 21, a student of Federal Science and Technical College Yaba, Lagos was arrested by the operatives of the EFCC on February 24, 2015 for allegedly swindling K. Oaks, a British citizen, of the sum of over £54,000.

Culled from Thisday