From Sola Ojo, Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned two individuals, Nathaniel Makama Zabrang and Husain Umar Bawa, before Justice M.J. Zubairu of the Kaduna State High Court on charges related to internet fraud.
The defendants face separate charges bordering on impersonation and obtaining money under false pretences.
Zabrang, who allegedly posed as “Alicia Smith,” a fictitious American citizen on Instagram, reportedly defrauded multiple unsuspecting victims of N10,019,028 between January and June 2025.
His actions contravene Section 308 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017, and are punishable under Section 309 of the same law.
Similarly, Bawa is accused of impersonating one “Bernard Lewis,” an American citizen, on Facebook, and fraudulently obtaining N8,613,989 from an American woman, Kathleen Hernandez, between January and December 2023.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecution counsel, K.S. Ogunlade, requested a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendants at the Nigeria Correctional Centre (NCC) in Kaduna.
Justice Zubairu adjourned the case to Monday, August 11, 2025, for a ruling on their bail applications and ordered that the accused be remanded pending the ruling.
In a related development, EFCC operatives on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, arrested seven more suspects in the Lokogoma area of Abuja over alleged involvement in internet-related fraud.
EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, who confirmed the development, said the arrests followed actionable intelligence received by the commission.
Items recovered from the suspects include 13 mobile phones of various brands and one international passport.
Oyewale disclosed that the suspects would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.
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