
News
US-based Nigerian pleads guilty to $50m fraud
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.
News
Mbah orders impartial Police Probe into Enugu political violence, vows accountability
Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah, has called for a thorough and impartial police investigation into the recent violence surrounding a political gathering in the state, assuring that anyone found responsible will face the law regardless of political affiliation.
Mbah, in an address to the people of Enugu State, expressed concern over reports of violence, particularly a shooting incident that left a citizen injured.
The governor said his immediate concern was the welfare of those injured, residents who experienced fear during the incident, and families affected by the violence.
He assured the victims and affected residents that their safety and well-being remained a priority for his administration.
“I know how much our people value the peace and security we have worked so hard to establish in Enugu. Incidents such as these cause anxiety and deserve our full attention,” the governor said.

Mbah stressed that every citizen, irrespective of political affiliation, must be able to exercise their political rights without fear, intimidation or violence.
He reiterated the state government’s commitment to protecting lives, upholding the law and ensuring that justice was served without favour.
The governor also stated that, in view of the preliminary findings regarding the incident, he expected the police to conduct a comprehensive and impartial investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the violence and identify those responsible.
According to him, anyone found culpable would be held accountable through the appropriate legal process, irrespective of their political connections.
“The Enugu State Government has made its position clear regarding allegations of involvement in this violence,” Mbah stated, reaffirming his administration’s responsibility to maintain peace and security across the state.
The incident has raised concerns over political tolerance and the safety of citizens participating in political activities in Enugu State.
The governor’s call for an impartial investigation underscores the need for the relevant security agencies to establish the facts surrounding the shooting and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
He concluded his address by thanking the people of Enugu State and praying for God’s continued blessings upon the state.
News
Enugu APC demands NDC apology over minute’s silence
Enugu APC urges NDC to apologise for observing a minute silence
All Progressives Congress (APC) has picked holes in the reaction of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) to the position of the Enugu State Government on the airport and party secretariat incidents involving the NDC at the weekend.
The party said that “persons and institutions that lay claim to integrity should be able to admit their mistakes, confess their transgressions, and apologise to the people.”
The Enugu NDC had, at a press conference addressed by its State Party Chairman, Emmanuel Chukwujekwu Nebo, in Enugu faulted some of the positions of the Enugu State Government on the weekend incident as were marshalled by the Secretary to the Enugu State Government (SSG), Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, on Sunday.
Principally, the NDC claimed that it had only planned an airport reception for its governorship candidate, Chinyeaka Ohaa, not a ‘Grand Statewide Campaign Flag-off’ at the airport as stated by the government.

The party added that it notified various law enforcement agencies of its plans and made payments to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
On the alleged shooting at NDC’s state secretariat, the party said that the NDC was “still verifying the final medical status of all injured persons.”
However, responding to NDC, the state Publicity Secretary of Enugu State chapter of the APC, Chief Uche Obute, insisted the NDC must tender unreserved apologies to the people of Enugu and Nigerians in general “for lying to them for political gains.”
“The question is: since the NDC was still verifying the final medical status of person or persons injured in their party fracas, how come they declared and observed a minute’s silence to mourn the living?
“The answer is simple: it was true to the factionalised Enugu NDC’s pattern to orchestrate violence among themselves and attribute it to Enugu APC to extract cheap political capital.
“It is also a validation of the commonly held view among the people that the Enugu State NDC and their governorship candidate, Chinyeaka Ohaa, would stop at nothing in their quest for power,” Obute said.
The party’s spokesman equally faulted NDC’s claim that it only planned to hold an airport reception, not a mega rally.
Supporting the party’s position with a screenshot of a Facebook post by NDC’s governorship candidate, Chinyeaka Ohaa, Obute said, “Promotional materials and posts by Ohaa clearly read, ‘Grand Statewide Campaign Flag-off 2026. Date: Saturday, 10th October 2026; Venue: Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu; Time: 9:00am,’” he added.
The party commended the Governor Peter Mbah Administration for upholding the freedom and democratic rights of the good people of Enugu State, irrespective of political affiliation.
“Rather than stoking political tension to undermine the security and peace built by the Mbah Administration, we advise the Enugu opposition parties to present their manifestoes and campaign on them,” he stated.
News
Enugu Governor’s Aide, Lucky Chukwu is dead
Hon. Chief Barrister Lucky Chukwu, Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, has died
His death was announced in October 2026 by the office of his younger brother, Senator Kelvin Chukwu, who represents Enugu East Senatorial District.
Lucky Chukwu was an elder brother of the late Labour Party senatorial candidate, Oyibo Chukwu, and Senator Kelvin Chukwu, a former member of the Enugu State House of Assembly.
He was appointed Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to Governor Mbah in August 2026, having previously been involved in political activities in the state.

Following his elder brother’s death, Senator Kelvin Chukwu suspended his political activities and engagements for one week to mourn the loss.
The senator’s office announced the temporary suspension in a statement issued on October 11, 2026.
The death is another loss for the Chukwu family, which had earlier lost Oyibo Chukwu, who was the Labour Party’s candidate for the Enugu East Senatorial District in the 2023 general election before he was assassinated during the campaign.
Following Oyibo Chukwu’s death, Kelvin Chukwu emerged as the Labour Party’s replacement candidate and went on to win the senatorial election.
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