NIGERIAN MAKES U.S MOST WANTED LIST OVER $1M FRAUD. (PHOTO).

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 Nigerian makes US Most Wanted List over $1m fraud A Nigerian, Onoriode Ezewu, has been named on the United States Department of Labour’s first-ever Most Wanted List over allegations of money laundering involving fraudulent unemployment benefit claims worth more than $1m. The department’s Office of Inspector General unveiled the list on its website on Wednesday, naming 16 fugitives wanted in cases involving alleged fraud, identity theft, money laundering, labour trafficking and other offences. According to the agency, the cases collectively involve more than $55m allegedly stolen from American taxpayers. Ezewu’s profile on the department’s website identifies him as wanted for concealment money laundering and states that he is believed to be residing in Nigeria. “In January 2021, Ezewu was charged with 15 counts of concealment money laundering tied to fraudulent UI and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims filed using stolen identities, in a scheme exceeding $1 million that also t...

ALLEGED €49 MILLION FRAUD: EFCC ARRAIGNS TWO IN LAGOS. (PHOTOS). #PRESS RELEASE


 Alleged €49 Million Fraud: EFCC Arraigns Two in Lagos

 

 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, on Monday, July 7, 2025, arraigned Abel Egerton Sokari, Nkiruka Chukwuma, and a company, Zakah Global Investment Limited, before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on a six-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence, possession of fraudulent documents, and forgery to the tune of Forty-Nine Million Euros (€49,000,000).

 

One of the counts reads:

"That you, Abel Egerton Sokari, Nkiruka Chukwuma, Zakah Global Investment Limited, Cheryl Austin Adanti (at large), Husain Abid (at large), Shazad Muhammed (at large), and Ismail Adil (at large), on or about the 19th day of May 2025, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, attempted to obtain the sum of Forty-Nine Million Euros (€49,000,000.00) from First Bank of Nigeria by falsely representing that Bayan Investment Bank and Hedge Fund Statutory Trust had transferred the aforementioned sum into account number 2046430791 belonging to Zakah Global Investment Limited, domiciled at First Bank of Nigeria."

 

Another count reads:

"That you, Abel Egerton Sokari and Nkiruka Chukwuma, sometime in April 2024 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, had in your possession a document containing false pretences, to wit: a letter purportedly from the law office of Steven H. Sado, P.C., a lead defence attorney for U.S. President Donald Trump, which document you knew to be false."

 

The defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges when they were read to them.

 

Following their pleas,  prosecution counsel, H.U. Kofarnaisa, requested a trial date and prayed the court to remand the defendants in custody pending the commencement of trial.

 

However, counsel to the first and second defendants, Clement Onwenwnor, SAN, and Laolu Owolabi, SAN, informed the court of their pending bail applications and urged the court to grant bail in the most liberal terms. They further undertook to take custody of the defendants pending the perfection of their bail conditions.

 

Justice Dada granted bail to both defendants in the sum of N500,000 each, with one surety in like sum.

 

They were temporarily released to their respective counsel pending the perfection of their bail conditions, which must be fulfilled within one month.

 

The case was adjourned to October 29, 2025, for the commencement of trial.

One more photo below. 


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