EFCC arraign Onwuzuruike Kingsley, alleged internet fraud kingpin for over $8.5m scam

BY DANIEL EFE

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC Port Harcourt’s zonal office has arraigned one Onwuzuruike Ikenna Kingsley (aka Jeff Sikora), a self-styled President/ Chief Executive Officer of  United States-based Prime Trust Credit Union Bank a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.

He was arraigned before Justice A.T. Mohammed of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on an eight count charge bordering on conspiracy, impersonation, forgery, possession of proceeds and  obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of Eight Million, Five Hundred and Two Thousand Dollars ($8,502,000.00) .

The offence contravenes Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.
One of the counts reads, “that you Onwuzuruike Ikenna Kingsley (aka Jeff Sikora) on or about the 28th day of December, 2019, at Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court with intent to defraud, did obtain the sum of ($6,500,000.00) six million, five hundred thousand United States Dollars through web transfer from one Mr. Selah Elnagar Ali Ahmed, a citizen of the Arabic Republic of Egypt, with the pretence that he is a beneficiary of inheritance funds in a fixed deposit account of Prime Trust Financial Bank, USA, a pretext you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to  Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act”.
When the charges were read to the defendant, he pleaded ‘not guilty’.
In view of his plea, the prosecution counsel M.T Iko asked the court for a short adjournment.   
However, defense counsel, R.E. Wanogho informed the court of a pending application for the bail of the defendant.
 Iko however opposed the application on the grounds that he was only “served this morning”, and needed time to respond to it.

Justice Mohammed adjourned the matter to July 3, 2020 for hearing and ordered that the defendant be remanded in EFCC custody.

Kingsley ran into trouble following actionable intelligence received by the Commission, on his alleged fraudulent activities. This led to the arrest of the defendant on January 26, 2020 by Operatives of the EFCC at his residence along Uzuakoli Road, Umuahia, Abia State.
Investigations revealed that Kingsley falsely presented himself as one Jeff Sikora, President/CEO of Prime Trust Credit Union Bank based in the United States of America, USA with the intent to defraud his victims.

Using the forged Identity Card of the said Sikora, the defendant allegedly defrauded an Egyptian, the sum of $6,500,000.00 on the pretext that he was a beneficiary of Inheritance Funds in a fixed deposit account of Prime Trust Financial Bank.
The defendant also collected the sum of Two Thousand  United States Dollars ($2,000) which was transferred to him by his accomplice, one Obi Taxas (who is now at large) as part of his share of the heist.