A United States-based Nigerian, Animashaun Adebo, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy over his involvement in a series of business email compromise and romance scams that resulted in more than $50m in losses.

A statement obtained by PUNCH Metro on the US DoJ website on Tuesday said that Adebo, also known as “Kazeem” and “Kazeem Animashaun,” entered a guilty plea on Monday at a federal court in Brooklyn.

The statement noted that Adebo and his co-conspirators orchestrated multiple fraudulent schemes targeting individuals and small businesses across the United States, particularly within the Eastern District of New York.

The statement read, “Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, Animashaun Adebo, also known as ‘Kazeem’ and ‘Kazeem Animashaun,’ pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy for his role in a series of fraudulent business email compromise and related romance schemes that resulted in more than $50 million in losses by individuals and small businesses located within the Eastern District of New York and throughout the United States.

“The defendant and his co-conspirators misappropriated victim funds and laundered them through shell company accounts in the United States and abroad, sometimes using unsuspecting middlemen to further obscure the fraudulent source of the funds.”

The statement explained further that the syndicate misappropriated victims’ funds and laundered them through shell company accounts both within and outside the US, sometimes using unsuspecting intermediaries to conceal the origin of the funds.

It added that investigations revealed that the group carried out business email compromise schemes between April 2021 and March 2022.

As part of the schemes, victims involved in real estate transactions received fraudulent emails impersonating legitimate parties, directing them to transfer funds to designated accounts.

“As one part of the BEC schemes, victim-individuals involved in real estate transactions received fraudulent emails purporting to be from legitimate parties to those transactions. The emails instructed them to wire funds they believed to be related to the real estate transactions to specified bank accounts.

“The fraudulent email accounts that contacted the victims closely resembled but were slightly different from the email addresses of the legitimate parties to the transaction (a process known as ‘spoofing’).”

Similarly, employees of targeted companies were deceived into transferring funds after receiving emails that appeared to come from trusted vendors or business partners.

In each instance, funds transferred by victims were diverted into accounts controlled by Adebo and his associates.

The statement further disclosed that Adebo laundered part of the proceeds through the purchase of luxury watches and via an illegal money exchange operation run by his co-defendant, Idowu Ademoroti, who has already been convicted and sentenced.

“As another part of the BEC schemes, employees of victim companies received fraudulent emails purporting to be from legitimate vendors or other business partners of those companies directing them to transfer funds to specified bank accounts.

“In each case, after the victims executed the wires in accordance with the fraudulent instructions, the transferred funds were misappropriated from the victims and sent to and through accounts controlled by the defendant and his co-conspirators.”

It added that Adebo ultimately received part of the fraudulent proceeds through corporate bank accounts located in Nigeria.

According to the statement, another defendant linked to the scheme, Nelson Ojeriakhi, was arrested in Paris and extradited to the US in July 2025. He pleaded guilty in November 2025 and is awaiting sentencing.

It added that the fourth suspect, Noguan Eboigbe, remains at large.

“The defendant further laundered illicit proceeds through the purchase of luxury watches and through an illegal money exchange operation run by his co-defendant Idowu Ademoroti, who was previously convicted and sentenced to a term of incarceration for his role in the scheme. Adebo ultimately received fraudulent proceeds in corporate bank accounts located in Nigeria.

“A third defendant, Nelson Ojeriakhi, also a Nigerian national, was arrested in Paris, France, and extradited to the United States in July 2025.

“Ojeriakhi pleaded guilty in November 2025 and is pending sentencing, while a fourth defendant remains at large,” the statement concluded.

In a related development, another US-based Nigerian, Ifeanyi Ugwu, is facing up to five years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business involving more than $5m in illegally obtained funds.

The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, Eric Grant, had stated that Ugwu, 49, of Bakersfield, admitted to running the illegal operation between December 2020 and August 2023.

ADC chieftain, Dino Melaye has claimed that over 6,000 Nigerians have been killed in Benue State since Bola Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, as he criticised the ongoing failure to address persistent insecurity in the region.

Dino Melaye made the statement while speaking on the violence that has continued to affect farming communities in the state.

In a video clip shared widely on social media, Melaye pointed to the high number of deaths recorded in Benue alone during this period and questioned why the situation has not improved.

He said the figures reflect a serious challenge that demands attention from those in authority.

According to him, the attacks by terrorists have claimed thousands of lives and forced many residents to flee their homes, leaving behind destroyed farms and communities living in fear.

Benue has seen repeated incidents of violence linked to disputes over land and resources, with terrorists often targeting villages at night.

Reports from rights groups, including Amnesty International, have documented thousands of deaths across parts of central Nigeria in the same timeframe, with Benue recording one of the highest tolls.

Melaye, a former senator known for his outspoken views, used the occasion to highlight what he described as a lack of effective response to the crisis.

He argued that the scale of the loss in Benue should prompt stronger action to protect lives and restore calm.

The claims come amid broader concerns about insecurity in north-central Nigeria.

Independent estimates vary, but several sources have pointed to significant casualties in Benue from terrorist activities since 2023.

Some analyses put the number of deaths in the state in the thousands, though exact verification remains difficult due to the remote locations affected and challenges in data collection.

Local residents and community leaders have repeatedly called for better security deployment and measures to address the root causes of the conflict, such as competition between farmers and herders.

In recent months, attacks have continued in areas like Apa, Gwer West and other local government areas, adding to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.

Melaye’s remarks add to the public debate on how best to tackle the violence that has affected daily life in Benue for years.

He urged those responsible for security to do more to prevent further loss of life and allow people to return to their normal activities without constant threat.

As the situation persists, many in the state continue to hope for lasting solutions that go beyond statements and include practical steps on the ground.

The federal and state governments have at times announced operations and peace initiatives, but residents say the cycle of attacks has not yet been broken.

This latest comment from the ADC chieftain reflects the frustration felt by many who live with the daily reality of the insecurity in Benue.

The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticised the federal government for allocating billions of naira to post-election adjudication while failing to adequately invest in Nigeria’s education sector.

Speaking at a public lecture at Coal City University in Enugu State Tuesday, Obi described the proposed N135.22 billion budget for electoral adjudication and post-election provisions as a misplaced priority.

He argued that such funds could be redirected towards supporting graduates and strengthening the education system, which he said remains underfunded despite being critical to national development.

Obi maintained that Nigeria’s poor investment in education is a key driver of widespread poverty, low human capital development, and the country’s high number of out-of-school children.

He further lamented that education funding in Nigeria has consistently fallen below the benchmark recommended by UNESCO, including the proposed 2026 federal education budget of N3.52 trillion which represents only about 6.1 per cent of the total budget.

Obi warned against overemphasis on physical infrastructure at the expense of human capital.

“We have a government that is concerned about building physical infrastructure without human infrastructure. It is human infrastructure that drives development in countries like China and India,” he said.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the event and former Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, described Obi as a credible voice on education, citing his record as governor of Anambra State where he prioritised educational development.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Adam Ituma, said that the lecture series was designed to foster meaningful dialogue and connect the institution with thought leaders shaping global discourse.