N50 million allegedly withdrawn from the hacked bank account of ailing Nollywood actor, Mr. John Okafor, known as Mr. Ibu has landed his son and lover I’m Court.
According to detectives at the Force Criminal Investigation Department Ikoyi, Lagos, the alleged act led to the arrest of Mr. Ibu’s son, Onyebuchi Okafor and his lover, Jasmine Okekeagwu who have been arrested and were subsequently charged to court over conspiracy and stealing.
The arrest however followed a petition received from Diamond Waves Law Firm on behalf of Mr. Ibu’s wife, Stella Maris Okafor, dated September 6, 2023 which alleged that Mr. Ibu’s sons, Daniel and Valentine Okafor, along with Jasmine Okekeagwu, conspired to defraud Mr. Ibu.
According to ASP Mayegun Aminat, spokesperson for the FCID, investigation revealed that as part of the efforts to fund Mr. Ibu’s medical bills, he initiated a public fundraising initiative that attracted donations from fans, entertainment industry players, and the public.
In her words; “Mrs. Stella Maris Chinyere Okafor, Mr. Ibu’s wife, initially managed the funds for medical bills and family support.
“However, Onyeabuchi Daniel Okafor and Jasmine Chioma Okekeagwu allegedly manipulated Mrs. Stella Maris Okafor, gaining access to Mr. Ibu’s phone and hacking into his banking details.”
She further explained that the duo took control of Mr. Ibu’s mobile banking applications, wiped off the original applications, installed a new one on Daniel Okafor’s mobile and initiated fraudulent transfers from the public fundraising account to Daniel Okafor’s personal bank account.
A total of N55 million was said to have been criminally transferred before their arrest.
She added that forensic analysis traced the stolen funds to Onyeabuchi Okafor’s account, where it was discovered that N5 million had been spent on questionable transactions, while the remaining N50 million was successfully recovered.
It was also established through investigations that the two suspects, Jasmine Okekeagwu and Onyeabuchi Okafor had a sham marriage at the Ikoyi Marriage Registry with plans to escape from the country to the United Kingdom, where they intended to settle with their proceeds of crime.
They already applied for a UK Visa in furtherance to the plan before their arrest.
Investigation also revealed WhatsApp text messages between Jasmine Chioma and Daniel Okafor detailing stage-by-stage how they conspired and hatched their criminal plans.
Onyeabuchi Okafor and Jasmine Okekeagwu have been charged to the Chief Magistrates Court 1, Yaba, with the case adjourned to March 11, 2024.
Meanwhile, both culprits have been granted bail with the sum of N15 million with two sureties in like sum and their case file forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for legal advice for further investigations.
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