Detectives at the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos, have recovered the sum of N50 million allegedly withdrawn from the hacked bank account of ailing Nollywood actor, Mr. John Okafor, also known as Mr. Ibu.
This also led to the arrest of Mr. Ibu’s son, Onyebuchi Okafor and his lover, Jasmine Okekeagwu. They were subsequently charged to court for conspiracy and stealing.
Spokesperson for the FCID, Mayegun Aminat, stated that the arrest followed a petition received from Diamond Waves Law on behalf of Mr. Ibu’s wife, Stella Maris Okafor, dated 6 September, 2023.
According to barristerng.com, the petition alleged that Mr. Ibu’s sons, Daniel and Valentine Okafor, along with Jasmine Okekeagwu, conspired to defraud Mr. Ibu.
Mrs Aminat said police investigation revealed that as part of the effort to fund Mr. Ibu’s medical bills, he initiated a public fundraising initiative that attracted donations from fans, entertainment industry players, and the public.
“Mrs. Stella Maris Chinyere Okafor, Mr. Ibu’s wife, initially managed the funds for medical bills and family support.
“However, Onyebuchi Daniel Okafor and Jasmine Chioma Okekeagwu allegedly manipulated Mrs. Stella Maris Okafor, gained access to Mr. Ibu’s phone and hacked into his banking details,” she said.
She explained that the duo took control of Mr. Ibu’s mobile banking applications, wiped off the original applications, installed a new one on Onyebuchi Okafor’s mobile and initiated fraudulent transfers from the public fundraising account to Onyebuchi Okafor’s personal bank account.
A total of N55 million was said to have been criminally transferred before their arrest.
Mrs Aminat added that forensic analysis traced the stolen funds to Onyebuchi Okafor’s account, where it was discovered that N5 million had been spent on questionable transactions, while the remaining N50 million was successfully recovered.
It was also established through investigations that the two suspects, Jasmine Okekeagwu and Onyebuchi Okafor had a sham marriage at the Ikoyi Marriage Registry with plans to escape from the country to the United Kingdom, where they intended to settle with their proceeds of crime.
They already applied for a UK Visa in furtherance to the plan before their arrest.
The investigation also uncovered text messages via WhatsApp between Okekeagwu and Okafor, detailing stage-by-stage, how they conspired and hatched their criminal plans.
READ ALSO: Actor Ken Erics shares ‘excitement’ video as Mr Ibu returns home
Onyebuchi Okafor and Jasmine Okekeagwu have been charged to the Chief Magistrate’s Court 1, Yaba, with the case adjourned to 11 March, 2024.
Both were granted bail in the sum of N15 million with two sureties in like sum.
The case file has been forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.
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