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The FCID said in a news release on Thursday that it had responded to a petition that Diamond Waves Law had filed on behalf of Stella Maris Chinyere Okafor, the actor’s wife. According to the petition, Mr. Ibu’s two sons plotted to scam their father with the help of Jasmine, his adopted daughter.
“On 6th September 2023, a petition was received from Diamond Waves Law on behalf of Stella Maris Chinyere Okafor wherein one Onyeabuchi Daniel Okafor, Valentine Okafor, both of whom are sons of Mr John Ikechukwu Okafor (Alias Ibu) and Jasmine Chioma Okekeagwu were alleged to have conspired to defraud Mr Ibu while being on the sick bed.
“Investigation into the case established that as part of efforts to fund his medical bills, Mr Ibu launched a public fund-raising initiative and attracted donations from his fans, entertainment industry players, and other well-spirited members of the public into a bank account, which he publicized and dedicated for the purpose. Mr Ibu’s wife, Mrs Stella Maris Chinyere Okafor, was initially managing the funds to defray Mr Ibu’s medical bills and sustain the family. However, along the line, the duo of Onyeabuchi Daniel Okafor and Jasmine Chioma Okekeagwu manipulated Mrs Stella Maris Chinyere Okafor, took possession of Mr Ibu’s phone, and hacked into the banking details therein,” the Police said.
The pair reinstalled the banking software on Okafor’s phone and transferred N55 million from donations meant for the actor’s medical bills, according to FCID Spokesperson ASP Mayegun Aminat. According to the Police, Okafor and Jasmine had sought visas to leave the country and had planned a fictitious marriage at the Ikoyi registrar.
“They thereafter re-installed the mobile banking applications of Mr Ibu on the phone of Onyeabuchi Daniel Okafor preparatory to the perfection of their preconceived fraudulent plans and wiped off the banking applications originally installed on Mr Ibu’s phone, thereby, taking direct and full charge of banking activities of Mr Ibu concerning the funds being donated by members of the public in support of his medicals.
“Through this fraudulent act, Onyeabuchi Daniel Okafor and Jasmine Chioma Okekeagwu started transferring funds from Mr. Ibu’s public fundraising account to Onyeabuchi Daniel Okafor’s bank with forensic analysis of their illicit financial dealing establishing that a total of fifty-five million naira (=N=55M) has been successfully and criminally transferred before their arrest and investigation.
“Investigation also unearthed text messages via WhatsApp between Jasmine Chioma and Daniel Okafor detailing stage-by-stage how they conspired and hatched their criminal plans. It was also established that the two suspects, Jasmine Chioma Okekeagwu and Onyeabuchi Daniel Okafor, had a sham marriage at the Ikoyi Marriage Registry with plans to escape from the country to the UK, where they intended to settle with their proceeds of crime. They already applied for a UK Visa in furtherance to this plan before their arrest,” the statement added.
The FCID announced that a sum of N50 million has been recovered from the suspects. Additionally, they disclosed that both individuals have been charged at the Chief Magistrate Court 1, Yaba, under Charge No. A/06/2024 for conspiracy and stealing.
“During investigation, the stolen fifty-five million naira (=N=55M) was traced to the Bank Account of Onyeabuchi Daniel Okafor wherein it was discovered that they had squandered a total of five million naira (=N=5M) on questionable transactions, while the balance total of fifty million (=N=50M) has been recovered from him.
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