Crime
International fraud scheme: U.S jails Nigerian for 87 months, two pleads guity

A Nigerian nationals have been sentenced to prison and two other Nigerians pleaded guity for international inheritance fraud scheme that defrauded elderly U.S victims.

The first was sentenced to 87 months in prison after extradition to the United States from the United Kingdom while the two others who were previously extradited to the United States from Spain pleaded guilty in conspiring to commit the fraud.

According to court documents, Ezennia Peter Neboh, 48, Kennedy Ikponmwosa, 52, and Jerry Chucks Ozor, 43, were part of a group of fraudsters that sent personalized letters to elderly victims in the United States, falsely claiming that the sender was a representative of a bank in Spain and that the recipient was entitled to receive a multimillion-dollar inheritance left for the recipient by a family member who had died years before in Portugal.
Victims were told that before they could receive their purported inheritance, they were required to send money for delivery fees and taxes, and also were instructed to make other payments. Victims sent money to the defendants through a complex web of U.S.-based former victims. The defendants convinced these former victims to receive money from new victims and then forward the fraud proceeds to others.
On July 25, U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams sentenced Ozor to 87 months in prison for his role in the scheme. Ikponmwosa pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail fraud and wire fraud on the same date. Earlier today, Neboh pleaded guilty to committing the same offense.
“The Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch will continue to bring to justice international criminals responsible for defrauding U.S. consumers,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Working together, U.S. and foreign law enforcement can and will thwart schemes such as the one charged in this case and prevent further losses to American victims.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) has a long tradition of protecting American citizens from these types of schemes and bringing those responsible to justice,” said Inspector in Charge Juan A. Vargas of the USPIS Miami Division. “This result is a testament to the dedicated partnership between the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the USPIS, to protect our citizens from these scams.”
“International criminal organizations using schemes that target and steal from the elderly will be held responsible for their despicable actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Scott Brown of HSI Arizona. “This case demonstrates HSI’s commitment, with our partner law enforcement agencies domestically and abroad, to prove wrong those who believe they are beyond the reach of the law. I thank all the law enforcement agencies that dedicated countless hours to ensure that this investigation was successful.”
In June, Judge Williams sentenced Emmanuel Samuel, 39, of London, to 82 months in prison for his role in the scheme. During sentencing, Judge Williams said that it was important to send a message to international criminals who believe that “they would never have been caught” that they cannot prey on people in the United States “with impunity.”
Sentencing is scheduled for Neboh and Ikponmwosa on Nov. 2 and Oct. 20, respectively.
The Consumer Protection Branch, USPIS, and HSI are investigating the case.
Senior Trial Attorney Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorneys Josh Rothman and Brianna Gardner of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Europol and authorities from the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal all provided critical assistance.

Crime
Police investigations of alleged Russian KGB infiltration of NASS: Senator Natasha reportedly abandons petition

The alleged infiltration of the National Assembly by Russia’s KGB (Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti), the former Soviet security agency being investigated by the Nigeria Police seems to be a quandary.

This is because a source close to the Police headquarter said, Senator representing Kogi West, Sunday Karimi was invited for interrogation on the heels of petition before it by his colleague, Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

According to the petition dated March 5, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan who is currently on six months suspension from the Senate asked the police authority to investigate claim by her counterpart from Kogi west that KGB has infiltrated the National Assembly, posing a serious threat to Nigeria’s democratic processes.
In her petition, she alleged that Senator Karimi shared a report titled “KGB Agent Group Warns Senate: A Call for Vigilance Amidst Threats to Democracy” on the official WhatsApp group of the 10th Senate on February 23, 2025.
In her petition, the embattled female Kogi lawmaker asked the Police not to treat the alarm raised by Senator Karimi with levity, declaring that, “No nation can afford to ignore the presence of such a group within its legislative body.”
It was further revealed that Senator Karimi appeared at Louis Edet, Police headquarter on Monday to state his own side in deference to Police invitation.
Sources at the Police headquarter which described the session with Karimi as “positive with useful disclosure”
as the lawmaker owned up to his post, however revealed that the Force authority were taken aback that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has since distance herself from her petition and subsequently, rebuffed request to appear before the Force headquarter.
“We reached her after the session with Senator Karimi. “We wanted to hear from her too but she has continued to ignore our invitation.
That is disturbing to us because we don’t expect her to suddenly dump a petition with such a sensitive allegation against her colleague and then elope.
“Her excuse was that she is outside the country. But a viral video of her visit to her constituency has since went viral.So, it is difficult to reconcile her claim of being outside the shore of the country with the information available to us.
“We don’t want to meddle in the ongoing intrigues in the Senate. But it will be scandalous for her to try to use the Police to join forces with her against his colleagues.”
Asked what is the possible next line of action, the source said his superior knows what to do with such a petition which he dismissed as frivolous.
Reacting to the Police claim, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan denied that she snubbed invitation to shed light on her petition, insisting that she was never invited of recent by the Police after Senator Karimi’s summon.
She said:”Apart from being invited to adopt my petition, I haven’t been invited.”

Crime
Groups urge Governor Soludo to free detained native doctor, ritualists

Groups operating under the aegis of the Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders’ Foundation (HURIDE) and Campaign for Democracy (CD) South East Zone have called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to release ritualists and native doctors in detention.

The groups said, the Qnambra Governor should use the three years anniversary of his office to release the ritualists who have been in detention in the government house.

The appeal was contained in a joint statement by the Executive Director of the Human Rights body, CD South East Zonal Chairman Dede Uzor A.Uzor, the groups said he should use their release as a gift to their families in this season and occasion of three years in office.
The group named the native doctors as: Akwa Okuko tiwara Aku in Oba, Eke Hit from Okija and Onyeze Jesus from Nkpor.
The trio were arrested in connection with “spurious and obnoxious social media instigation on our youths” which painted a very bad image for the society.
The group lamented that the native doctors encouraged ostentatious lifestyle and crime, making our youths to believe that hard work doesn’t pay unless you engaged in unwholesome criminal activities like ‘okeite’ or ‘Awale, yahoo plus’ among other false lifestyles.
It also said “their activities promoted serious insecurity and tension in the state with teeming young people turning to such criminal and outlandish lifestyles.
“But since their arrest, we believe they have learnt a big lesson”.
The group advised that Soludo should make them sign undertaking with the hope of discontinuing such crude, unethical and diabolical activities in line with the extant laws of the State,” they appealed to the Governor.
HURIDE said Governor Soludo should grant amnesty to them in the spirit of this successful celebration of three years in office, saying that he has done so much to improve the lives of citizens of the State.
CAPITAL POST recalled that the Soludo administration has been clamping on criminal elements amid high number of missing persons believed to be orchestrated by ritualists in the State.

Crime
Ghana’s anti-drug agency nabs Nigerian drug kingpin, Uchechukwu Chima, seizes $2.1m worth of cocaine, heroin

Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has arrested a drug kingpin of Nigerian origin from the South East , Uchechukwu Chima.

The commission operatives raided his hideout in Accra.

Chima, who is 56 years was arrested on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, following the discovery of 192kg of cocaine and 0.42kg of heroin, valued at $2.1 million on the streets.
The acting Director of of Public Affairs and International Relations at NACOC, Francis Amoah speaking on the matter in Accra, confirmed that the substances seized were indeed cocaine and heroin.
Authorities believe Chima has played a significant role in previous drug-related operations in the country.
He said the operation marks a critical success in the ongoing fight against drug trafficking in Ghana.
“NACOC remains committed to making the country a hostile environment for drug trade and ensuring the safety of both Ghanaians and the international community.”

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