Metro

Alleged Fraud: I Was Deceived Into Investing $10,000 – Warri Fish Farmer Tells Court

Published

3 months ago

June 20, 2025

A Warri-based fish farmer, Mr Edafe Imirike, on Friday, told the Federal High Court in Abuja that he was deceived into investing the sum of 10,788 dollars and 64 cents in Afriq Arbitrage System (AAS) Ltd, a cryptocurrency platform.

The company is charged with advance fee fraud by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Imirike, the 1st prosecution witness (PW-1), told Justice Obiora Egwuatu while being led in evidence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s legal team led by Geraldine Ofulue with Martha Babatunde.

The witness, who identified Mr Jesam Michael, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AAS Limited, in court, said Michael assured him of the safety of his money before investing.

“In 2022, October to be precise, my sister, who resides in Canada, told me about Afriq Arbitrage System (AAS) Limited, and I joined the telegraph platform which was owned by the defendant.

“He told me what to expect.

“He showed me a CAC (Corporate Affairs Commission) document and EFCC certificate to show that the platform was legit.

“I invested the sum of 10,778 U.S. dollars and 64 cents from my fish farming,” he said.

He said he also invited two of his uncles onto the platform.

During cross-examination by the defence lawyer, Uchenna Njoku, SAN, the witness admitted that he invested his money because he was convinced that the investment was genuine.

“You will not have invested if you believe it was a crime?” the lawyer asked.

“I invested based on the CAC and the EFCC certificates and that the platform was genuine.

“That our capital will be secured. I never knew he had the spare key to take the money whenever he wished,” he responded.

When asked if his uncles and sister were still alive, the witness responded in the affirmative.

“Did any one of them give you a letter of authority to represent them?” Njoku asked.

“I manage the account. I can’t remember if they gave me a letter,” he responded.

When asked if he had received returns on his investment, he responded in the affirmative.

“Just as you receive returns on the investment in your name, so your uncle and others did,” the lawyer asked, and Imirike said, “We received.”

The witness said he indicated in his extrajudicial statement the returns on his investment.

“I withdrew a total of 137 dollars,” he said.

He agreed that he withdrew his first petition against the company at the police station, but based on the assurance that he would get his invested money back.

When the lawyer put it to the witness that he wrote at the police station that he invested the sum of 10,788 U.S. dollars and 74 cents, Imirike said it was incorrect.

When Njoku also confronted Imirike with a question that he collected the returns of 11,910.00 U.S. dollars, the witness said it was not correct.

“It was because you realised you had withdrawn more than you invested that you decided to settle with the defendant?” the lawyer asked.

“Not correct,” the witness said.

“In full and final settlement of all your interests, the defendant undertook to give you the total sum of N1 million and a 2016 Toyota Corolla, and he did,” the lawyer said.

“Not correct,” the witness responded.

Imirike, however, said that the N1 million and the car given to him were not for settlement but for compensation.

He said he had sold the car.

“I suggest to you that the only reason you filed your petition on May 8, 2025, was because you heard the defendant had been arraigned in court and you felt you could get a second bite,” the lawyer said, but the witness said it was not correct.

Justice Egwuatu adjourned the matter until June 27 and July 4 for the continuation of the trial.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Egwuatu had, on June 10, ordered the remand of Mr Michael in Kuje Correctional Centre over alleged investment fraud.

The judge, in a ruling in Michael’s bail application shortly after he was arraigned by the EFCC, refused his bail plea on the grounds of the gravity of the offence and the weight of evidence against him.

Justice Egwuatu agreed with the argument of the EFCC’s lawyer, Babatunde, that despite the instant charge, more petitions were still being received by the commission and other security agencies from victims of the Ponzi scheme of the defendant.

The judge observed that the anti-graft agency, in its argument, also submitted that its further investigation had revealed that there were over 50,000 investors in Michael’s failed investment scheme.

He also held that the victims were aggrieved and it would be in his own safety to remain in government custody pending the conclusion of the trial.

The judge, however, ordered an accelerated hearing of the trial.

NAN reports that the EFCC had, in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/134/2025, dragged Michael and his company, a cryptocurrency trading platform, to court as 1st and 2nd defendants.

The commission, in the seven-count charge bordering on money laundering and advance fee fraud, among others, accused Michael of investment fraud involving 844,416.36 U.S. dollars, N590 million and another 10,000 U.S. dollars.

The EFCC alleged that Michael and his company, between September 2022 and June 2023 in Abuja, while not being a bank or an authorised entity to take deposits, invited the public through advertisements to deposit funds with Afriq Arbitrage System Limited.

This, according to the commission, is in contravention of Section 44(1) of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act, 2020, and is punishable under the same Act.

NAN observes that at Friday’s sitting, a crowd of victims stormed the court to observe proceedings.
(NAN)

Metro

Job Seekers Protest Alleged Fake Employment Letters For Ondo Teaching Jobs

Published

6 hours ago

September 12, 2025

Editor

Hundreds of aggrieved job seekers on Friday staged a protest at the Governor’s Office, Alagbaka, Akure, the Ondo State capital, over alleged fake letters of employment issued to them for teaching positions in the state.

The protesters, who had applied for teaching jobs under the state’s civil service, barricaded the entrance to the Governor’s Office while demanding immediate inclusion in the ongoing biometric capturing exercise for newly recruited teachers by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

According to the protesters’ claims, despite possessing ‘official-looking’ appointment letters purportedly issued by SUBEB and the State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), their names were not included in the official list of successful candidates scheduled for the exercise.

While armed with placards of various inscriptions, the job seekers chanted solidarity songs and called on the state government to intervene.

A source said, “The affected members of the newly recruited teachers in Ondo State are protesting their disengagement from the capturing exercise due to backdoor appointment letters issued to them by unscrupulous directors of the personnel at SUBEB and TESCOM offices.”

In a reaction, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan, confirmed that the protesters had been scammed with fake appointment letters by some unknown people.

“People should please note that those who protested are not teachers but applicants who were duped by some individuals during the recruitment process.

“They all paid money to scammers who issued them fake letters of appointment.

“Those legitimately recruited by the government have been absorbed and have started working,” the CPS stated.

The government, however, maintained that the genuine recruitment exercise is being handled transparently and urged applicants to be wary of fraudsters exploiting the process.

Metro

Police Arrest Suspected Robber, Three Others With Firearm In Delta

Published

7 hours ago

September 12, 2025

Editor

Operatives of Safe Delta have arrested a 23-year-old suspected armed robber, Raphael Chukwuemeka, with a cut-to-size double-barrel pistol and seven live cartridges.

The suspect was apprehended along DBS Road, Asaba, Delta State, on September 9, 2025. He is now in police custody.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, confirmed the arrest in a statement.

The police spokesman said, “On September 9, 2025, operatives of Safe Delta, while on surveillance patrol along DBS Road, sighted a group of boys fighting and engaging in affray, one with a cutlass.”

According to SP Edafe, “The operatives swiftly went to the scene and, in the process, arrested Raphael Chukwuemeka, 23, with one cut-to-size double-barrel pistol with seven live cartridges recovered from him.”

He added, “The suspect was taken into custody, and the investigation is ongoing.”

In a separate incident, operatives of Safe Delta, while on stop-and-search duty at Head Bridge, Asaba, arrested three suspected armed robbers, Solomon Offor, 22, Ifesinachi Nwankeze, 19, and Ambrose Ugwuba, 23.

They were apprehended on September 10, 2025, at about 10:30 am.

Edafe confirmed, “Upon search of the suspects and the motorcycle, a locally made single-barrel cut-to-size gun, cartridges and a dagger concealed in a bag were recovered.”

Metro

Four Feared Killed As Gunmen Attack Burial Ceremony In Anambra

Published

10 hours ago

September 12, 2025

Editor

Gunmen suspected to be cultists on Thursday night attacked a burial ceremony in Ezi Village, Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, killing four persons and injuring about 15 others.

Eyewitnesses said the assailants, believed to be from a rival cult group, stormed the venue on motorcycles while family members were performing the burial rites.

They opened fire on mourners, sending others scampering for safety before fleeing the scene.

“The assailants suddenly invaded the scene of the burial on Thursday and opened fire at the gathering, targeting some people who were present.

“The family members of the deceased and other mourners were performing the burial rites in the compound, when they arrived at the scene and shot at the mourners, while others scampered to safety.

“They came in some motorcycles and after carrying out their deadly mission, immediately left the scene,” an indigene who was near the scene, who did not want his name in print, The told PUNCH.

Confirming the incident in a statement on Friday, the spokesman for the state police command, Tochukwu Ikenga, said operatives from Ogidi Division, led by the Divisional Police Officer, quickly responded, restored normalcy, and evacuated the victims to hospitals.

Ikenga said the Command has commenced a discreet investigation to identify, trace, and arrest the perpetrators, adding that preliminary findings suggested that the incident is connected to a clash between rival cult groups.

He said, “Following a distress call in the late hours of September 11, 2025, that armed men suspected to be cultists invaded a burial ceremony at Ezi Village, Ogidi, Idemili North LGA, and opened fire on the attendees, resulting in the death of four persons while 15 others sustained serious injuries.

“Police operatives from Ogidi Division, led by the Divisional Police Officer, swiftly mobilised to the scene, restored normalcy, and immediately evacuated the victims to hospitals for medical attention. In the course of the operation, 16 expended cartridges were recovered as exhibits.

“The Command has since launched a discreet investigation to identify, trace, and arrest the perpetrators, as preliminary findings suggest that the incident is connected to a clash between rival cult groups.”

According to him, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ikioye Orutugu, has strongly condemned the incident and assured residents of the command’s resolve to rid the state of cult-related violence and other criminal activities.

“The Command urges members of the public to remain calm, security-conscious, and to continue to provide useful information by reporting suspicious movements or persons to the nearest Police formation.

“Further developments will be communicated in due course,” the statement added.

This latest incident comes months after The PUNCH reported that seven people, including five police officers, were killed in January when gunmen invaded a compound in Ihiala LGA during preparations for another burial.

It was gathered that the family members in the compound were making preparations for a burial ceremony scheduled to be held on January 2, 2025, when suddenly, the hoodlums invaded the place and started shooting sporadically, leading to the death of the victims.

The assailants were said to have opened fire at the gathering, targeting security operatives stationed near the local government headquarters as they fled the scene.

The Anambra State governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, who visited the scene to condole with the families of the victims, announced a N10m bounty each for information leading to the capture of each of the gunmen responsible for the killing.