Crime
How pastor defrauded 88-year-woman N36.5m
An 88-year-old woman, Mrs Tawakalitu Ilumooka, on Thursday told an Ikeja Special Offences Court how a pastor, Ayodeji Olorunfemi, allegedly defrauded her of N36.5 million.
Ilumooka testified that the pastor took her to a river goddess (Olookun) for fake hard currency.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Olorunfemi is standing trial on a three-count charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretences and stealing.
He is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
On Thursday, Ilumooka, led in evidence by EFCC counsel, Mr Ahmed Yerima, said that the pastor took her to Olookun on the pretext that the river goddess had blessed her with a box containing dollars and pounds sterling.
The octogenarian testified that the defendant told her that the N36.5 million would be used for spiritual cleansing before the currencies could be spent.
Ilumooka, a former businesswoman on Lagos Island, told the court that she gave birth to nine children and that one of her daughters, Kuburat, and her friend introduced her to the defendant.
“It has been seven years since we have been on this matter.
“Otunba has a big church and he prays for people; so, I spoke with him on the phone and told him I wanted to sell a piece of land at Orile Agege and he could help me pray about it.
“He instructed me to prepare a large bowl of semo with assorted meat and give it to a mad person, which I did and later sold the land for N100 million, after he prayed for me.
“I told him to send his account details in which I transferred N100,000 as a form of appreciation,” she said.
The witness further told the court that his 64-year-old son later called her from America and told her that he was sick and confined in a wheelchair.
She said she called the defendant on phone to pray for his sick son but he told her that she had to travel to Ondo State before her son could be healed.
“I told him Ondo is far that I could not go because I am old, but Otunba insisted that it is the only place they could take care of my sick son, and I told him, ‘It is okay’.
“He told me that one Fakunle Fabunmi and one other person, whose name I cannot remember, would call me.
“I was in bus when they started calling me and when I got to Ondo State, I was taken to Ondo Town,” she said.
The witness said she that did not suspect any foul play because the two men came with an expensive car and the defendant knew them.
She told the court that she was taken to a big house in a bush and was later taken into a room filled with water, adding that a woman, Olookun ( river goddess) came out of the water and promised to give her money but she declined.
“When I entered the room filled with water, a woman came out from the water and they told me it was Olookun (river goddess) and they instructed me to look down to avoid looking at her face.
“They were the one interpreting what Olookun was saying as I could not hear her, and they said Olookun wanted to give me money but I told them that I did not need money. I came because of my son’s health.
“They took me to another room filled with many people that were masked with white clothes. They mentioned my parents’ names to me, and I was terrified.
“They gave me a calabash when I got out, and instructed me to take it home so that my son could recover from illness.”
According to the witness, the men took her back to Lagos and warned her that her house would be razed by fire if she would not return the calabash within seven days.
“I was scared; that made me return the calabash to Ondo Town,” she said.
The witness said that she met the defendant with the two other men when she returned the calabash to Ondo Town and they brought out a port mantle into which hard currencies were flowing into, from the roof of a room.
” Dollars and pound sterling were flowing into the port mantle from the roof of the room, and they asked if I wanted money, but I told them, ‘No’.
“The said Olookun wanted to give me money but I told them I did not come because of money.
“They tore my cloth and I was naked and they started snapping my nakedness when I refused to carry the port mantle full of dollars and pound sterling.
“The defendant looked at me and said, ‘You did not know what you came to do here.’
“I replied that I was there because of my son. I told them I wanted to poo but they said I should poo inside a big hole that was dug in the room.”
She told the court that she cried unto God afterwards.
“They said I should take the money and they would follow me to my house.
“They carried the port mantle inside a jeep and drove me down to Lagos from Ondo.
“Fakunle plucked a leaf and and dropped it on the port mantle and said some words into it so that no police would stop them on the way.”
The octogenarian told the court that the men carried the money to her house and put it under her bed.
“They warned that I should not tell anybody,” she added.
The witness further told the court that the defendant and the two men monitored her and later sent their account details in which she paid N36.5 million.
“The first one I paid was N5 million, the second one was N11 million and they later collected N10 million.
“The total money they collected from me is N36.5 million.
“They said they would give me something like a stick with cowries to stir the port mantle.
“My lord, I am 88 years old. Despite all my struggles not to lose my son and the money they collected from me, my son died from the illness in February at the age of 64 years.”
The witness testified that she reported the case to EFCC.
“Otunba was arrested and N1.8 million was recovered from his account. EFCC withdrew the money and gave it to me and took the port mantle,” the witness said.
NAN reports that the witness broke down in tears and her statement dated March 16, 2018 and July 2018 with an obituary of her son were admitted in evidence.
During cross-examination by defence counsel, Mr Bamidele Olayemi, the witness said that she had been relating with the defendant on phone since the time her daughter and her friend connected her with him.
“She also said that she did not see the defendant in person prior to the time they met in Ondo.
NAN reports that the EFCC alleged the defendant with six others still at large fraudulently obtained the sum of N36 million from the octogenarian.
The alleged offences contravene Sections 1(1)(a) and 1(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences, 2006, and Sections 287 (1) (2) and 285 (1) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011 .
Justice Mojisola Dada adjourned the case until Sept. 30 for continuation of trial.
This is as the agency said terrorist financiers were opening bank accounts in women’s names as well as using phone numbers for mobile banking or account alerts that are not registered to the account holder or the true beneficiary.
The disclosures are contained in the NFIU’s 2025 Annual Report, obtained by The PUNCH from a top official.
According to the report, the crowdfunding scheme involves foreign-based facilitators using social media platforms to solicit donations under the guise of humanitarian relief or educational support, before moving the funds through multiple layers to terrorist operatives in Nigeria.
The NFIU said hundreds of sympathisers were typically encouraged to make relatively small donations, ranging from $50 to $500, through PayPal pages or conventional bank accounts, with the amounts deliberately kept low enough to evade automated anti-money laundering alerts.
“The following is a case study on Crowdfunding Network identified during the year: A foreign-based facilitator runs social-media campaigns claiming humanitarian relief or educational support and uses encrypted apps (Telegram, Signal) to share links to convincing PayPal pages or standard bank accounts.
“Hundreds of sympathiser donors contribute $50–$500 each, amounts small enough to avoid most automated AML alerts,” the report read.
The funds are subsequently pooled into a “master account” controlled by a senior member of the group living legally abroad.
“When the pool reaches a threshold, that account becomes the hub for onward movement,” the report stated.
The NFIU said the funds were then fragmented into dozens of smaller payments and transferred through International Money Transfer Operators and remittance applications to a network of money mules in Nigeria.
It identified students, small-business owners and relatives among those used as mules, noting that the strategy was designed to avoid reporting thresholds and obscure the origin and destination of the funds.
“Rather than sending one large transfer, the senior member fractures the funds and sends dozens of sub-threshold payments through IMTOs and remittance apps to a network of money mules in Nigeria; students, small-business owners, or relatives, avoiding reporting triggers.
“Upon receipt, the money was either converted to cash, used to purchase dual-use items such as motorcycles, fertilisers and satellite internet equipment, or transferred through mobile banking channels to logistics managers and field operatives,” it added.
The report described the final stage as the “integration” of the funds into terrorist operational financing.
The Unit also identified the use of gender-based proxy accounts as another emerging terrorist financing technique, with terrorists opening bank accounts in women’s names while male commanders or logistics managers secretly control them.
“Terrorist financiers are opening bank accounts in women’s names while male commanders and logistics managers secretly control them.
“They exploit cultural norms that make women less likely to be suspected by authorities, using wives, sisters, or female associates as fronts to distance illicit funds from the true operatives.
“This tactic functions as identity laundering: women’s accounts are managed by men who hold ATM cards, mobile-banking credentials, and PINs, while the women often remain unaware of the transactions and volumes,” the report stated.
The report further revealed that terrorist facilitators were using telephone numbers that were not registered to the account holders or actual beneficiaries for mobile banking and transaction alerts.
It said pre-registered SIM cards, numbers registered to deceased persons and SIMs linked to gender-based proxies were being used to break the connection between bank accounts, SIM cards and Bank Verification Numbers.
“Terrorist facilitators use phone numbers for mobile banking or account alerts that are not registered to the account holder or the true beneficiary.
“They bypass the security link between SIM cards and BVNs by using pre-registered SIMs, SIMs registered to deceased people, or SIMs tied to gender-based proxies. This severs the audit trail: when a transaction is flagged, investigators trace the phone to an unrelated person, letting the real facilitator stay anonymous and continue operations,” it stated.
The NFIU also uncovered sophisticated methods of disguising terrorist transactions through detailed or coded narrations.
It said cells, particularly those linked to the Islamic State West Africa Province, used precise transaction descriptions to maintain what analysts described as an internal accounting system.
According to the report, frequent logistics-related payments with detailed narrations were often sent from a single source to multiple recipients, reflecting a structured financial system within the terrorist network.
“Terrorist cells, particularly those linked to ISWAP, routinely use precise, professional-sounding transaction narrations to maintain internal accounting. Operating like “shadow states” with strict bureaucratic controls, they require detailed descriptions so field commanders can justify expenses to central financial controllers. Although truthful narrations appear counterintuitive, they create an internal audit trail; analysts repeatedly observe high-frequency, logistics-related payments with accurate narrations sent from a single source to multiple recipients,” the report said.
However, the NFIU said some facilitators used innocuous words, secret codes and alphanumeric strings in transaction descriptions, sometimes switching between languages, to conceal the purpose of payments and evade automated bank filters.
“Transaction descriptions employ innocuous words, secret codes, or alphanumeric strings to conceal intent. Facilitators use this coded language, often switching languages to evade banks’ automated keyword filters that flag terms like ‘Jihad,’ ‘Arms,’ or ‘Boko.’
“This practice obscures the true purpose of transfers, preventing detection and enabling continued financing,” it said.
The NFIU said its risk and crime analysis during the year identified an increasingly interconnected threat landscape involving financial crime, technology and cross-border activity.
It noted that fraud remained a dominant predicate offence, with growing cases of Ponzi schemes, fraudulent crowdfunding arrangements, cryptocurrency-enabled investment scams and hacking-related fraud.
The Unit said the schemes increasingly exploited fintech onboarding gaps, including tiered accounts requiring minimal identification, while digital platforms were used to rapidly recruit victims and move funds.
The report also highlighted persistent vulnerabilities in public sector financial management, including the diversion of state and local government funds through accounts belonging to finance officers and associated third parties.
It identified procurement processes and cash transactions as significant risk areas, saying the latter complicated audit trails and efforts to trace illicit assets.
The NFIU said its findings were translated into targeted advisories, executive alerts and strategic intelligence products to support competent authorities, reporting entities and policy responses.
Six suspected members of a gang of gunmen terrorising Amiyi Community and neighbouring towns in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State have been killed by a joint security task force.
The gunmen met their end after security operatives, acting on intelligence gathered over several days, tracked them to their camp around the River Niger creek.
The operation involved personnel of the Nigeria Police Force Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu; Department of State Services (DSS); 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha; Nigerian Navy personnel from Ogbaru; and Agunachamba operatives from the community.
The security team trekked for about four hours through difficult terrain and dense palm forest before reaching the suspected criminal camp.
On sighting the operatives, the gunmen opened fire, triggering a prolonged gun battle.
At the end of the encounter, six suspected members of the group were neutralised, while others fled, some reportedly with gunshot wounds.
Two pump-action guns and charms were recovered from the camps, while structures believed to have been used by the gang were subsequently dismantled.
However, the operation came at a cost, as one security operative was killed and another injured after an explosive device suspected to have been planted in the area detonated.
The injured operative is receiving treatment in a hospital.
The Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, commended the security personnel and community-based operatives for their courage and resilience, describing the operation as a demonstration of the importance of intelligence sharing, inter-agency cooperation and community support in tackling violent crime.
He commiserated with the family and colleagues of the fallen operative and wished the injured officer a speedy recovery.
The Commissioner assured residents that security agencies would sustain intelligence-led operations to dismantle criminal camps, recover illegal weapons and prevent armed groups from establishing operational bases across Anambra State.
Operatives of the Enugu State Police Command have rescued three victims of abduction and recovered their Lexus RX350, two locally made firearms and ammunition following a hot pursuit of suspected kidnappers in Enugu.
The operation was carried out by operatives of the Anti-Cultism Sub-Unit of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), with support from members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group and local residents.
According to a statement by the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, the operation followed credible intelligence received at about 1:30 a.m. on August 18, 2026, while the operatives were conducting crime-prevention patrols along the Port Harcourt Expressway.
The information concerned the carjacking and abduction of occupants of a Lexus RX350 by armed hoodlums in the Independence Layout area of Enugu.
The operatives immediately launched a hot pursuit which led to Hillview Road, Independence Layout, where the suspects abandoned the vehicle and firearms before fleeing into the area.
The three victims were subsequently rescued unharmed and taken to safety with the assistance of Neighbourhood Watch members and other residents.
Police said they recovered one locally fabricated Beretta-like pistol loaded with five rounds of 9mm live ammunition, one locally made cut-to-size firearm and one live cartridge.
Other items recovered were a pair of hand gloves, a ski mask and a mobile phone.
The Command said investigation had been intensified and a manhunt launched for the fleeing suspects, with efforts ongoing to identify and apprehend them, recover additional exhibits and establish their involvement in the crime.
The Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, commended the police operatives, Neighbourhood Watch members and residents for their swift and coordinated response.
Giwa reiterated the Command’s commitment to intelligence-led and community-supported operations against kidnapping, armed robbery, car snatching and other violent crimes.
He also urged residents to remain vigilant and provide the police with timely and credible information that could assist in preventing and solving crimes.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) has arrested a suspect for allegedly swindling 16 job seekers within Enugu metropolis.
The Commandant of NSCDC Enugu State Command, Dr Elijah Willie, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the arrest and investigation on Monday.
Willie said that the suspect collected a total of N6,139,000 from the ignorant and unsuspecting job seekers.
He said that the suspect, Mrs Serah Onyemerela, had been evading arrest by many security agencies until a resourceful officer of the command tracked her down and brought her to the Command.
The Commandant said that the suspect collected the sum of N306,000 from each of the 16 job seekers in the alleged job racketeering or job scam,which totalled N6,139,000.
“On August 12 and 18, 2026, Mrs Love Nnenna Onyema and Mrs Chidimma Ubah, the complainants, reported that Mrs Serah Uchechukwu Onyemerela, the suspect, defrauded them of N770,000 and N424,500 respectively.
“This amount to a total of N1,194,500 from both. However, the ones collected among the remaining people that made up the 16 job seekers at N306,000 each totalled N6,139,000.
“The suspect allegedly promised to assist the complainants in securing employment at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH).
“However, there is evidence indicating a lack of genuine intent, as there are no current job vacancies available, and the suspect has failed to refund the amounts as promised,” he said.
Willie said that on Aug. 17, 2026, the suspect was summoned, tracked and subsequently detained due to her inability to fulfil the conditions of an administrative bail application facilitated by the NSCDC Enugu State Command.
“The suspect has since confessed to the charges of job fraud and obtaining money under false pretences.
“The funds were transferred to a personnel account linked to Mrs Onyemerela Serah Uchechukwu,” he said.
The Commandant also warned job seekers and people seeking for help in any form to ensure no one places them in a condition to pay first before rendering a help.
Willie called on Nigerians, enlightened or not, to see the red flag that any help being offered even in prayer houses and money payment comes before the job or help is “total fraud”.
He said, “Our people should get wise like people in advance world and stop falling prey to swindlers and wicked people who are bent on taking the little they have from them.
“However, the NSCDC has a mandate to take away these unscrupulous elements out of the society for Nigerians to experience peace as well as the trust and bond in the society continue.”
The suspect would be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) soon as the NSCDC conclude its preliminary investigations on the matter.
A police inspector has been killed and another officer seriously injured after gunmen allegedly ambushed a joint security team in Jigawa State.
The incident occurred on Saturday, August 22, 2026, after security personnel responded to reports of farmland destruction in Gwaram Local Government Area.
According to a security report obtained by Zagazola Makama, the attack took place at about 3pm in a forested area.
The joint team comprised personnel from Gwaram and Fagam police divisions, the 35 Police Mobile Force and local security outfits. Members of the Vigilance and Community Response Unit (VCRU) and Operation Salama also participated in the operation.
The report said the team had been patrolling the area following recurring complaints involving suspected herders and farmland destruction.
The personnel reportedly came under attack after entering the area, with the assailants said to have used arrows.
Inspector Bukar Wakili, attached to Gwaram Division, was reportedly struck in the face and sustained serious injuries.
Another officer, Inspector Mohammed Shafiu of the VCRU in Dutse, was also injured during the incident.
Both officers were taken to a hospital, where Shafiu was confirmed dead, according to the report.
Bukar was later referred to the Malam Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital for further medical treatment.
The identities and affiliation of the attackers have not been independently confirmed, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Additional tactical teams were subsequently deployed to reinforce the security personnel and support efforts to identify those responsible.
Police have opened an investigation into the incident and maintained a security presence in the affected area.
The attack comes amid recurring disputes involving farmers and herders in parts of northern Nigeria, where disagreements over farmland and grazing routes can sometimes escalate into violence.
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