Onwuzuruike Kingsley Ikenna popularly known as Jeff Sikora or as Nwanta Anayoeze Yonaracha, has been arraigned by the Port Harcourt zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged internet fraud.
Back in February, Ikenna, hours after being paraded by the EFCC for allegedly being involved in Business Email Compromise (BEC) and identity fraud went live on Facebook to boast about his release. His victims allegedly include a major United States bank.
However, he was arraigned before Justice A.T. Mohammed of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on 30th June on an eight count charge based on impersonation, conspiracy, forgery, possession of proceeds and obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of Eight Million, Five Hundred and Two Thousand Dollars ($8,502,000.00).
One of the counts read:
“That you, Onwuzuruike Ikenna Kingsley (aka Jeff Sikora), on or about December 28, 2019, in Umuahia, Abia State, within the jurisdiction of this court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the sum of $6,500,000.00 through web transfer from one Mr. Selah Elnagar Ali Ahmed, a citizen of Egypt, with the pretence that he is a beneficiary of inheritance funds in a fixed deposit account of Prime Trust Financial Bank in United States, a pretext you knew to be false, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.
The defendant pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him. This made the prosecution counsel, M.T Iko, to ask the court for a short adjournment.
Iko, also opposed the pending application for the bail of the defendant on the grounds that he was only served the application that same morning and needed time to study and respond to it.
Finally, Justice Mohammed adjourned the matter till 3rd July, 2020, for hearing, and ordered that the defendant be remanded in EFCC custody.
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