Detectives at the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex in Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos, have found N50 million that was purportedly taken out of the compromised bank account of Mr John Okafor, popularly known as Mr Ibu, an ailing Nollywood actor, ObjecTV revealed
As a result, Onyebuchi Okafor, the son of Mr. Ibu, and Jasmine Okekeagwu were also taken into custody.
The petition alleged that Mr. Ibu’s sons, Daniel and Valentine Okafor, along with Jasmine Okekeagwu, conspired to defraud Mr. Ibu.
According to her, investigation revealed that as part of the effort to fund Mr. Ibu’s medical bills, he initiated a public fundraising initiative that attracted donations from fans, entertainment industry players, and the public.
“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,” Aminat stated.
She reported that the two gained access to Mr. Ibu’s mobile banking apps, deleted the old ones, installed a new one on Daniel Okafor’s phone, and started making unauthorised payments from the public fundraising account to Daniel Okafor’s personal bank account.
Before they were apprehended, a reported N55 million had been unlawfully moved.
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.
The investigation also uncovered text messages via WhatsApp 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.