The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a school owner, Mrs. Imaobong Okpong, for allegedly defrauding several victims through fake foreign scholarship and visa schemes.
In a statement posted Friday on its official X handle, the EFCC said operatives of its Uyo Zonal Directorate apprehended Okpong, who operates a school in Mbierebe, Akwa Ibom State, following a petition by a medical practitioner, Dr. Blessing Bassey.
Bassey accused Okpong of collecting N3 million from her under the pretext of securing university admission and Canadian visas for her and her husband. She said the suspect contacted her in February 2024, claiming she could help obtain a scholarship and study visa abroad.
Bassey stated that she only paid after Okpong signed an indemnity agreement, which was notarised. The N3 million payment was made via electronic transfer. However, after receiving the funds, Okpong allegedly became unreachable and stopped answering calls, failing to deliver on the agreement.
According to Bassey, other victims also fell prey to the same scam. One of her friends was reportedly stranded in China after discovering the scholarship was fake. “Some of her victims travelled abroad with fake documents and ended up stranded or deported, losing huge sums of money,” she said.
The EFCC said Okpong would be charged to court once investigations are completed.
In a separate development, the EFCC announced that a Federal High Court in Ilorin, Kwara State, has sentenced an entrepreneur, Muhammed Bukar, to six months in prison for possession of counterfeit currency and cybercrime.
Justice Abimbola Awogboro delivered the judgment after finding Bukar, from Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State, guilty on a two-count charge filed by the EFCC’s Ilorin Zonal Directorate.
