$7.9m fraud: EFCC apprehends two suspects

Two suspected fraudsters, Victor Uadiale and Nnaji Everest who allegedly duped a foreign investor of the sum of $7.9m have been apprehended by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The two suspects were arrested separately in connection with the fraud.

Mr. Uadiale, the principal suspect, is alleged to be the arrow head of an international syndicate skilled in defrauding international businessmen pursuing investment opportunities in Nigeria.

It is alleged that he invited the investor, a businessman from the Middle East, to invest in the flourishing oil sector in Nigeria. Using a fake name: Victor Emeka, he made the investor to visit Nigeria. The man was warmly received at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, and thereafter flown in a helicopter to a destination where he reportedly met one Mr. Grant, a member of the group, who assured him of the credibility of the business arrangement.

After much deliberation, the investor was convinced that the business was a promising one and he started paying money in foreign currency into Mr. Uadiale’s offshore accounts where they are laundered into various bank accounts around the globe. A sum of $ 1.29m was traced to a Barclay’s Bank (United Kingdom) account of Nnaji Everest, a member of Mr. Uadiale’s syndicate.