The Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, March 17, 2025, brought one Catherine Ijeoma Ugwu before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court Maiduguri for a N6.8m romance fraud case.
EFCC stated that Ugwu deceived one Emmanuel Ani out of N6.8m ‘by impersonating and pretending to be his fiancée.’
The accused faced arraignment on a four-count charge involving obtaining money through deception, criminal misappropriation, and cheating by impersonation, amounting to N6,815,300.00 (Six Million Eight Hundred and Fifteen Thousand Three Hundred Naira only).
Count one states: “That you Catherine Ijeoma Ugwu between the period of June 2023 to August 2024 in Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud obtained the aggregate sum of N6,710,300.00 (Six Million Seven Hundred and Ten Thousand Three Hundred Naira) from Emmanuel Ani into your bank account: 1778806195 domiciled with Access Bank plc. Under the pretence that same is meant for the upkeep of his purported fiancée, one Miss Chinansa, which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud-related Offences Act, 2006.”
The accused entered a not guilty plea when the charges were presented to her.
Prosecution counsel S.O Saka and Faruku Muhammad requested the court to set a trial date and to detain the accused in a Correctional Centre.
Justice Kumaliya subsequently postponed the case to April 8, 2025, for the start of the trial and ordered the accused to be held in a Correctional Centre.
Ugwu’s path to the Correctional Centre began when she acquired N6.8 million by impersonating and acting as the fiancée of the complainant.
When approached by the complainant, the accused could neither explain nor refund the money she had taken.
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli
