Crime & Court
Bitcoin Scam: EFCC reveals how suspect duped victims from 13 countries of $382,000
A 1st prosecution witness in the trial of Eze Harrison Arinze has told Justice J. K. Omotosho of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, how Arinze received $382,000 (Three Hundred and Eighty-Two Thousand United States Dollars) worth of bitcoins from his victims before his account was blocked by his Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP).
The witness, Ogunjobi Olalekan, an officer of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, told the court that Arinze’s victims were deceived into withdrawing their funds and depositing them into Arinze’s Bitcoin accounts, thinking that they were transacting legitimate businesses.
Arinze was arraigned on March 22, 2023, before Justice Omotosho, on five count charges bordering on obtaining by pretense and money laundering to the tune of $769,263 (Seven Hundred and Sixty-Nine Thousand, Two Hundred and Sixty Three United States Dollars).
One of the counts against him reads; “That you, Eze Harrison Arinze alias Charlotte Brain, sometime between April 2022 and December 2022, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, did fraudulently impersonate one Charlotte Brain, a purported owner of Digitrades. Ltd/Digitrades. Net/Swiss-Earnings/Craystal-Trade investment platform on Telegram and in that assumed character obtained cryptocurrency worth $592,000.00(Five Hundred and Ninety-Two Thousand USD) from your victims through your bitcoins’ wallet address-333…. Domiciled with Coinbase, a Virtual Assets Service Provider (VASP) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22(3)(b) Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention) Act, 2012 and Punishable under the same Act.”
Another count reads: “That you, Eze Harrison Arinze alias Charlotte Brain, while being the owner of Digitrades. Ltd/Digitrades. Net/Swiss-Earnings/Crystal-Trade, a purported investment platform on Telegram, sometime between 28th October 2022 and 7th December 2022, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, with the intent to defraud, obtained 9.771 bitcoins worth $168,000.00(One Hundred and Sixty-Eight Thousand US Dollars) transferred to your bitcoins’ wallet address 333…, domiciled with a Coinbase, a Virtual Assets Service Provider(VASP) under the pretense that the said sum is for cryptocurrency investments, which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to 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.”
He pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to him.
At the resumed trial of the case, Olalekan told the court that: “We requested for users on the platform who have deposited cryptocurrency to the defendant’s account and their names were provided. About thirty persons on the platforms deposited various sums of bitcoin to the defendant’s account”.
Continuing, he explained that: “those that were identified were from thirteen different countries – the total inflow to his bitcoin wallet address based on the response was about 15.5btc valued around $382,000 (Three Hundred and Eighty-Two United States Dollars and the defendant has withdrawn about 5btc before it was blocked.”
“We got the information on these users who deposited the funds, showing their user identities, location, money deposited at different intervals, wallet addresses where these funds were sent to at different intervals”, he said.
He further stated that other vital information like “the amount they sent, dollar equivalent, email addresses of depositors, transaction identities”, were also disclosed.
Olalekan told the court that 28 out of the 30 depositors were reached through their email addresses to establish the purpose of the various sums they deposited in the defendant’s account and what they knew about “Swiss-Coin, Swiss earning, Swiss coins, and Digitrades.ltd.”
After listening to the witness testimony, Justice Omotosho adjourned the matter for continuation to June 14, 2023, and ordered the remand of the defendant in the Kuje Correctional Centre.
Justice Maryanne Anenih of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has issued a public summons for former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello to appear in court to respond to a fresh 16-count indictment.
The summons requires Bello to attend court on October 24 for his arraignment, alongside co-defendants Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu.
The public summons was ordered following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In her ruling, Justice Anenih directed the EFCC to publish the summons in a widely circulated newspaper to ensure proper notification.
Also, the court instructed the EFCC to post copies of the public summons at Bello’s last known address and in conspicuous locations within the court premises.
The EFCC has reported difficulties in serving the charges, which were filed on September 24, alleging that Bello and the two co-defendants committed a criminal breach of trust involving a staggering ₦110.4 billion.
A Police Inspector, Mohammed Bulama, attached to the Police Mobile Force (PMF) 41 in Yobe State, has been arrested for allegedly killing a 39-year-old civilian, Abdulmalik Dauda, during a confrontation in Damaturu, the state capital.
The incident, which occurred on September 29, 2024, was sparked by a heated argument between Bulama and Dauda over “uncleared transactions” in the Zango area of Damaturu. The argument escalated, leading Bulama to fatally stab Dauda in the chest.
In a statement, the Yobe State Police spokesperson, Dungus Abdulkarim, confirmed Bulama’s arrest and announced that an investigation into the homicide case had been launched.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Garba Ahmed, has ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into the incident involving Inspector Mohammed Bulama,” Abdulkarim said.
He further disclosed that the officer has been placed in custody, pending internal disciplinary action and prosecution.
CP Ahmed condemned the actions of the officer, extending his condolences to the family of the victim.
He also assured the public that justice would be served swiftly in accordance with the law.
The Lagos State Police Command has summoned three officers accused of extorting N1 million from members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the Surulere area of Lagos.
Footage of the incident, which went viral on social media late Friday, shows the officers confronting the corps members, reportedly over the absence of a physical copy of a driver’s license. The video was shared by social media user Oluyemi Fasipe, who claimed that the officers threatened the corps members with firearms and forcibly took them to the Kafaru Oluwole Tinubu House, the Area C Command of the Lagos State Police, where they allegedly extorted the sum of N1 million.
“Dear @BenHundeyin, Your officers today in Surulere extorted 1 million naira from three corps members,” Fasipe wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “They were threatened with firearms, kidnapped, and taken to the KAFARU OLUWOLE TINUBU HOUSE AREA C POLICE COMMAND of the @LagosPoliceNG where they were robbed.”
Fasipe added that the entire incident stemmed from the corps members’ inability to present a physical copy of a driver’s license, a situation he described as “evil.”
In one of the videos, the officers are seen inspecting the vehicle’s documents, with the situation escalating as additional officers arrived. One officer can be seen entering the car and demanding that the corps members stop recording the incident, while also prohibiting them from contacting their families.
In response, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the officers involved have been summoned, and an investigation is underway.
“The men have been summoned, and their trial has commenced,” Hundeyin wrote on X. “We urge the complainants to visit the Complaint Response Unit at the State Headquarters to testify at the ongoing trial.”
