Foreign
American woman, 62, scams young Nigerian with marriage
In a shocking tale of dating app deception, Mr. Obinna Ezenwa has come forward to share his harrowing experience of being scammed by an American woman he met online. This is coming after the said woman had allegedly made efforts to intimidate and scandalize Obinna’s name and reputation.
He met Kymberly Stalvey Ann Shepard on a dating app in October 2018. After conversing for a while, Kymberly surprised him by brandishing a flight ticket to Nigeria in November.
She arrived in Lagos on December 28, 2018, and the couple decided to purchase a car together to travel around cities and villages.
Ezenwa took Kymberly to his village in Imo State, where she met his family and friends.
The relationship progressed, and in January 2019, Ezenwa and Kymberly had a court marriage in Owerri Municipal Council, surrounded by loved ones.
However, unknown to him, Kymberly had been previously married to three other men, including a Nigerian, while he is her fourth husband.
After returning to the US in January 2019, Kymberly informed Ezenwa that she would not be able to file the necessary paperwork for him to join her, as she had already sponsored two people and the US immigration would not allow her to do so again. This revelation prevented Obinna from legally immigrating to the US as previously agreed with Kymberly.
Kymberly’s alleged deception did not end there. In the middle of 2019, she told Ezenwa that he would have to find alternative means to come to the US, as she would not be able to sponsor him.
When pressed for an explanation, Kymberly shocked Ezenwa with the confession that her previous marriages, including one to a Nigerian man living in Georgia, were still legally valid when she married Ezenwa.
Despite the betrayal and manipulation, Ezenwa forgave Kymberly due to his genuine love for her, but his attempts to obtain a US visa on his own were unsuccessful, leading to further conflict in the relationship, as Kymberly accused him of trying to dump her.
With the unsuccessful attempts to obtain a US visa, Kymberly became increasingly temperamental and began stalking Ezenwa on social media, questioning his friends about him and even creating fake accounts to tarnish his reputation.
In February 2020, Kymberly allegedly returned to Nigeria for a second visit and during her stay, Ezenwa discovered that she was communicating with another man, claiming he was her ex-husband.
Upon her return to the US, Kymberly’s behavior worsened, and she eventually blocked Ezenwa on all means of communication.
In February 2021, Kymberly used the anti-kidnapping squad in Owerri, Imo State, to have Ezenwa arrested through a man she met online. He spent three nights in police custody before his release, as the police were unable to substantiate any charges while his accusers abandoned the case in the Police and fled.
According to Ezenwa, Kymberly’s allegations of extortion against him were all trumped up claims, to get back at him.
He explained further: “I’m the victim in this matter. A woman I took to my village and to my parents, but didn’t know she was playing me for a fool. All she wanted was to sexually exploit me, which is clearly what she had been doing in the three previous marriages she had.
“She is 62 and was already an expert in coercing men into marriage and ‘importing’ them from foreign nations to the United States where she seeks to call the shots and enslave the men for her sexual satisfaction.
“Kymberly hid her previous marriages from me, but unfortunately for her, she could not file papers for me to join her as agreed and my own efforts yielded no result too. That was when I learnt that she had filed papers previously for other husbands and couldn’t file for me because she had reached the lawful limit.
“Thinking she would lose me, that was when the monster in her emerged and she began to say and do all manner of things to malign and intimidate me. Joining her in America is something that could have worked out with time, but she was so desperate that she was willing to destroy the marriage, my name and everything because things did not go her way.”
Obinna later moved to the UK to pursue his MSc, but in January 2022, Kymberly allegedly made a defamatory publication against him in a Nigerian national daily, prompting Obinna and his lawyers to file a defamation lawsuit against her and the newspaper, which is still ongoing.
The estranged couple is also embroiled in a divorce case, with the court processes served on Kymberly since February 2022.
In an alleged desperate effort to taint Obinna, Kymberly and her allies petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), making wild allegations and claims, riddled with injurious falsehood, against Obinna.
“Without any form of due diligence; without prior invitation or efforts to hear from me, the EFCC on April 2024, declared me wanted on the basis of the false claims and allegations leveled against me by Kymberly and her proxies in Nigeria, an action I consider defamatory and malicious, for which I have since filed a suit, seeking redress against the EFCC in court. The petitioner has my number and my email and must have made it available to the commission. These same people were calling my lawyer and still could not drop an invite for me through my lawyer or call me directly before declaring me wanted.”
Reacting however, the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale insisted that the commission must have made efforts to reach Ezenwa before declaring him wanted.
His words: “It is not possible that the EFCC will declare anybody wanted without first making efforts to reach the person. We are a professional and global organization, so there is no way we would not have explored all available options to reach him before declaring him wanted. Well, if he feels maligned or defamed and has gone to court to seek redress, we shall meet him in court.”
On financial dealings with Kimberly, Ezenwa however explained this: “In every financial engagement, she evaluated and made payments herself, except for when I do exchanges to Naira, the money is paid into my account and I do not decide how it is spent. For all the investments and the purchases of goods and services made, she evaluated and satisfied herself before paying.
“The bulk of the expenses she ran was not on me but on hotel accommodations which she sourced herself and paid online. We stayed at the Eko Garden, Protea Hotel, Four Points by Sheraton and De Santiago Hotel among others. So her claims against me are largely false and fraudulent.
“In all, I made no financial gains from her as that was not the objective, rather she took advantage of me, victimized me, sexually exploited me and only got infuriated because my trip to the US failed. Now I know it was actually God that saved me from her by making my Visa applications fail.”
When the Imo Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Henry Okoye was reached to comment on the said arrest of Ezenwa by the command, he said: “I will have to find out from the Commander Tiger Base”. This is largely because Okoye assumed duty as the Imo Police spokesman in January 2023 while the said arrest happened February 2021.
Contacted also, the Investigating Police Officer, who directly handled the case between Kymberly and Ezenwa at the Tiger Base, Imo State Police Command, simply identified as IPO Chidiebere Nwobi, told our correspondent on phone that the case was apparently a case of love gone sour.
He confirmed that his unit arrested and detained Ezenwa following a complaint from Kymberly through the Police Control Room, but regretted that in spite of multiple opportunities given to Kymberly or her lawyer to come and prove their case, they failed to show up.
“Even after Ezenwa was released, he was still reporting and coming to the command in the hope that the woman’s lawyer and those that facilitated the case would come to prove the allegations against him, he was interested in clearing his name, but they abandoned the case. At some point, we were convinced that the young man may be innocent of the allegations against him; and that it may just be a case of a relationship that went wrong. We had no lawful reason to detain anybody or continue with the case, so the matter was closed.”
Obinna’s harrowing experience serves as a cautionary tale for those seeking love online. The case highlights the need for increased awareness and protection against romance scams and marital fraud, which can have devastating emotional and financial consequences for victims.
South Africa’s anti-immigration group, March and March, has announced September 30 as a fresh deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave the country, as it staged a protest outside the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Durban on Monday.
The group marched through central Durban under the theme, “It’s time to fetch your people,” calling on African leaders attending the 46th SADC Summit to take back their citizens living in South Africa without legal documentation.
March and March had earlier led nationwide protests on June 30, demanding tougher government action against undocumented immigration and warning that its campaign would continue until its demands were addressed.
Announcing its latest action, the group said the September 30 deadline would mark the beginning of what it described as the “mother of all protests”, while urging South Africans to assist the police in identifying undocumented foreigners.
The protest took place as the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government got underway in Durban, with leaders from the regional bloc’s 16 member states in attendance.
The demonstration has renewed debate over South Africa’s treatment of foreign nationals, particularly citizens of other African countries.
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently condemned discrimination and violence against foreigners, saying South Africa could not advocate regional integration at the SADC summit while practising exclusion within the country.
The June 30 protests were accompanied by security operations and reports of attacks and looting in some areas, according to police reports cited in the original report.
March and March has continued to demand tougher action against undocumented immigration, while tensions over the treatment of foreign nationals have prompted some African countries to evacuate their citizens from South Africa.
The latest protest has brought the immigration dispute directly to the doorstep of the SADC summit, placing the issue before regional leaders whose citizens are among those affected.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of a US deal with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, while calling on Tehran to surrender.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with Fox News journalist Trey Yingst, amid ongoing talks between Oman and Iran over future maritime navigation arrangements through the strategic waterway.
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump said, referring to the discussions between Oman and Iran as Washington pursues its own negotiations.
Iranian and Omani officials have been holding talks for weeks, with Iran’s Foreign Ministry saying Monday that both sides were working towards a joint declaration on the strait.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the Strait of Hormuz is under US control, despite Iran maintaining an effective blockade that has severely restricted maritime traffic.
On Friday, Trump said he could even declare the Strait of Hormuz part of US territory, prompting Iran to insist that the strategic waterway “will remain Iranian.”
Trump also called on Iran to “put up the white flag of surrender,” according to Yingst.
The Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran to the north and Oman to the south, was previously regarded as an open international waterway and carries a significant share of global energy shipments.
AFP
There has been no known deployment of US ground forces in Iran during the Middle East war, with the exception of a rescue mission in April for a downed American pilot.
Hatami did not provide any details on where or when the killing or capturing of US soldiers was expected to take place.
“Anyone who kills or captures and hands over an invading American military personnel will receive a reward equivalent to $30,000 or 5 billion tomans from the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army,” Hatami said, using an informal unit equivalent to 10,000 Iranian rials.
The war between Tehran and Washington began on February 28 after the United States, joined by Israel, attacked Iran. It was followed by an April ceasefire after nearly 40 days of fighting, and a June framework for peace talks that later collapsed.
Iran and the United States have since traded fire sporadically, with fighting mainly centred in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz.
AFP
The family of Philip Ifeanyi Elobuike, an indigene of Eziama Village, Ebe, in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, has appealed to the public for assistance in locating him after his photograph surfaced on social media following nearly two years without contact.
Elobuike first travelled to the United States around 2004 and initially settled in the Los Angeles area of California. He later moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, before relocating to Dallas, Texas.
According to his family, Elobuike remained in contact with his relatives in Nigeria until around 2024, when communication with him suddenly stopped. Before losing contact, he was active on social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
His family had continued searching for him, and on August 11, 2026, they were relieved when his photograph surfaced on social media. The picture provided them with at least some reassurance that he was alive.
Elobuike Philip
However, contrary to reports circulating in some media outlets and on social media, Elobuike has not been reunited with his family or located by his kinsmen in the United States.
His relatives and members of the Nigerian community reportedly spent the entire day on August 12 searching for him in different parts of Dallas but were unable to locate him.
The family is therefore appealing to members of the public, particularly Nigerians and other individuals in the Dallas area, to assist in locating Elobuike and ensuring that he is safely reunited with his family.
The family also urged people to disregard reports claiming that he has already been found and reunited with his relatives, describing such reports as inaccurate.
Anyone who has information about Elobuike’s whereabouts or comes across him is urged to contact any of the following:
Dr. Fred Ngwu: (214) 418-8145
Moses Onyejekwe: (213) 479-2340
Law Okolo: (646) 302-2597
The family expressed appreciation to everyone who has shared his photograph and appealed for continued circulation of the information until he is successfully located.
No fewer than 205 Nigerians were deported from Canada in June 2026 as Canadian authorities intensified enforcement of the country’s immigration laws, according to official figures released by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
Immigration removal statistics published by the CBSA showed that 10,607 individuals were removed from Canada during the month, with Nigerians ranking among the top 10 nationalities affected by the exercise.
The figures indicate that Nigerians accounted for nearly two per cent of all removals carried out in June.
India recorded the highest number of deportations, with 3,323 nationals removed, followed by Mexico with 1,573. The United States accounted for 372 deportees, while Colombia and Romania recorded 354 and 293 removals respectively.
Other countries with significant numbers of nationals deported included Bangladesh, with 227, and Pakistan, with 207.
Explaining the rationale behind the removals, the CBSA said enforcing immigration laws was critical to protecting the integrity of Canada’s immigration system.
“Removing individuals who do not have the right to enter or stay in Canada is essential to maintaining the integrity of Canada’s immigration program and to ensuring fairness for those who come to this country lawfully,” the agency stated.
The latest figures underscore Canada’s continued enforcement against individuals found to have no legal right to remain in the country, as authorities seek to ensure compliance with the nation’s immigration laws.
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