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Two Nigerian Scammers To Spend 22 Years In US Jail
Two Nigerian fraudsters, Opeyemi Abidemi Adeoso, 46; and Benjamin Adeleke Ifebajo, 47; have been sentenced to a combined 22 and half years in the United States for e-mail scam.
They were arrested in DOJ’s Operation reWired by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and would spend 22 and half years in federal prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney, Chad E. Meacham, announced this, last Monday.
Adeoso pleaded guilty in June, 2020 to 17 counts of wire fraud, eight counts of money laundering, six counts of use of false passport, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
He was sentenced last Thursday by Chief U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn to 151 months in federal prison, and ordered to pay $9.3million in restitution.
His co-conspirator, Ifebajo, pleaded guilty in March, 2020 to seven counts of wire fraud, six counts of money laundering, four counts of use of a false passport, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
He was sentenced in June to 120 months in federal prison, and ordered to pay $2.1million in restitution.
“These defendants utilized multiple tactics to deceive unsuspecting businesses out of their money. By assuming fictitious identities they defrauded dozens, which risks business health and in turn, erodes overall economic health,” FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge, Matthew J. DeSarno said.
“Along with our federal law enforcement partners, we will continue to hold fraudsters accountable for their crimes and the harm they cause.”
Agents initiated an investigation into the pair in August, 2018, after receiving a report of a business email compromise scheme from a victim who had transferred more than $504,000 into a bank account registered to a “Daniel Sammy Campbell.”
Using the address associated with the account, they traced it back to Adeoso.
Agents then reviewed bank surveillance footage and traced funds to identify Adeoso and Ifebajo, Nigerian nationals in the U.S. on non-immigrant visas.
According to court documents, the defendants admitted they used fraudulent passports to open individual bank accounts under assumed names.
Other members of the conspiracy then sent phishing emails – which spoofed the email addresses of victims’ employers, supervisors, and other known business contacts – to numerous individuals prompting them to initiate wire transfers from their personal bank accounts or from their employer’s bank accounts.
Once the money hit the defendants’ accounts, they withdrew the money, often tens of thousands of dollars at a time, in cash, via cashiers’ checks, or through electronic transfer, then deposited the funds into other alias accounts.
Occasionally, they made purchases with the money.
Adeoso is believed to have used aliases including, but not limited to: Peter Kuffor, George Macharty, Nelson Johnson, Braheem Larke, Michael Albert, Michael Jaden Sean, Michael Jeff Brown, and Benjamin Zee Brown.
Ifebajo is believed to have used aliases including, but not limited to: Joseph Eric Johnson, Jeremiah Alex Malcom, Tidwell Anthony Wilson, and Andrew James Williams.
A third co-conspirator, Temitope Aminat Folorunsho, 35, pleaded guilty in July, 2020 to multiple counts of wire fraud, money laundering, use of false passport, and conspiracy and was sentenced in July, 2021 to 37 months in federal prison and ordered to pay roughly $221,000 in restitution.
Folorunsho used aliases Terri L. Brown, Michelle Angel Cole, Robyn L. Granell, and Deborah Kiki Philip.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service, and Homeland Security Investigations’ Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney, Tiffany H. Eggers, prosecuted the case.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it has not commenced recruitment for the 2025/2026 Basic Military Training Course (BMTC) and Direct Short Service Commission (DSSC).
The Director, Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, in a statement yesterday, described the advertisement as fraudulent.
Ejodame said that no such recruitment exercise is currently ongoing, urging the public to disregard those messages in their entirety.
“We wish to remind the general public that the Nigerian Air Force recruitment and enlistment processes are free, transparent, and merit-based.
“The NAF does not charge any fee at any stage of its recruitment exercise, and does not engage third parties or agents for enlistment.
“Whenever a recruitment exercise is to be conducted, it will be officially announced and widely publicised through credible national dailies, the NAF official website, and its verified social media platforms.
“We therefore urge members of the public to be wary of online scams and exercise extreme caution when coming across unofficial recruitment advertisements,” he said.
Ejodame also advised the public to always rely on NAF’s official social media handles for accurate and up-to-date information regarding its activities.
According to him, official NAF communication channels are: https://www.facebook.com/share/1735SmRdMo/ https://x.com/NigAirForce?t=1263ETdBwkuqewt-rSuyIg&s=09 https://www.instagram.com/NigerianAirForce https://youtube.com/@nigerianairforcehq?feature=shared
https://www.airforce.mil.ng/ “The Nigerian Air Force is committed to integrity, transparency, and efficient service delivery to the nation while projecting air power to save lives and properties of all Nigerians,” he added.
No fewer than 9,469 admissions across 20 tertiary institutions nationwide have been flagged as fake by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for the 2024 academic session.
According to the board, the admissions were conducted outside the popular Central Admission Processing System, popularly known as CAPS.
According to the list obtained from JAMB, Kano State University of Science and Technology led the pack with 2,215 fake admissions, with Ladoke Akintola University of Technology following with 1,215.
Others are Gombe state University, 1,164; Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, 761; Federal University of Technology, Owerri, 534; Ambrose Alli University, 514; Igbinedion University, 365; Akwa-Ibom Polytechnic, 340 and College of Nursing, National Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi, 281.
Also on the list are Achievers University, 267; Nigeria Police Academy, 263; Abia State Polytechnic, 256; Osun State University, 224; Federal University, Lafia, 189; Niger State Polytechnic, 182; Federal Polytechnic, Ida, 171 and Edo State Polytechnic,166.
Others are Anchor University, 133; Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, 116 and the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, 113.
CAPS was introduced to enhance transparency and efficiency, and serves as an online platform where prospective university students can monitor and manage their admission status.
By centralising the admission process, JAMB CAPS ensures that all candidates are given fair consideration based on merit and institutional requirements.
The primary purpose of JAMB CAPS is to streamline the admission process into tertiary institutions across Nigeria. It achieves this by ensuring transparency as candidates can easily track their admission status, and guarantees that all applicants are evaluated based on consistent criteria.
The system also enhances efficiency as institutions can process admissions swiftly, and candidates receive timely updates on their application status.
The board has, over time, warned institutions against backdoor admissions offered to candidates outside CAPS, as candidates offered admission outside CAPS were barred from the mandatory National Youth Service Corps scheme.
Recall that the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, reiterated a directive in Abuja at the 2025 policy meeting of JAMB last week, declaring all admissions conducted outside JAMB as illegal.
He said institutions and individuals involved in such practices would be prosecuted and severely sanctioned.
“Any admission conducted outside CAPS, regardless of its intentions, is illegal.
“Both institutions and the candidates involved in such practices will be held accountable.
“Sanctions may include withdrawal of institutional assets and prosecution of culpable officers or governing council members,” he said.
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) says it will soon unveil a National Values Charter (NVC) to serve as a social contract between the Nigerian government and its citizens.
The Director-General of the agency, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, disclosed this in Abuja, yesterday at a one-day workshop on “Civic Responsibility and National Values for Voluntary Organisations”.
Issa-Onilu was represented by Dr Olukemi Afolayan, Director of Civic Values and Democratic Education at the agency.
He said that the charter would articulate the responsibilities of both the government and citizens towards nation-building.
“We are at a pivotal moment as a country.
“The challenges facing Nigeria range from insecurity, corruption, poor civic engagement, moral decay, and apathy in democratic processes.
“These require, not just governmental intervention, but active citizen participation,”he said.
He said that voluntary organisations had historically played key roles in moral reawakening, youth mobilisation and community development, dating back to the colonial period.
According to him, the NOA under the current leadership, has intensified efforts to fulfill its core mandate of value reorientation.
He said that the agency did that with the launch of several campaigns, including the National Identity Project approved by the Federal Executive Council in 2024.
“President, Bola Tinubu, is expected to formally unveil the National Values Charter.
“It defines the ‘Nigerian Promise’, the government’s commitment to equality, democracy, entrepreneurship, peace, inclusivity, freedom and meritocracy,” he said.
The NOA D-G said that the Charter would also highlight a ‘Citizen’s Code’ calling on Nigerians to embrace discipline, duty of care, tolerance, leadership, accountability, environmental awareness and resilience.
He urged voluntary organisations to support the campaign and serve as role models in their communities to promote patriotism and public trust.
Also speaking, Mrs Rhoda Sadus, Deputy Director of Civic Values and Democracy at NOA, said that the Charter was a critical component of a broader National Identity Project aimed at global reputational management.
“This is the first time any Nigerian organisation is targeting global reputational management through strategic media engagement, including broadcasts on international channels like CNN,” she said.
Sadus said that NOA was engaging Nigerians in the diaspora and working closely with other agencies, including the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), to promote a unified national identity.
“When the Director-General assumed office, he emphasised the need for Nigeria to define and project its identity.
“The National Values Charter was conceived to outline the responsibilities of both the government and the citizens, a departure from past initiatives that only targeted citizens,” she added.
She said that the agency would soon begin training public office holders on national values as part of the post-appointment orientation process.
“We believe that when both the government and the people fulfill their obligations, national development will follow,” she said.
In his remarks, Dr Mohammed Dambo, Commander of the FCT Man ‘O’ War, said the initiative offered an opportunity for Nigerians to unite under a common agenda for national progress.
“If America became what it is today through collective agreement and commitment, Nigeria can do the same.
“We need to stop gaslighting our leaders and start promoting a culture of excellence, patriotism and civic responsibility.”
He called for the values to be transferred to the younger generation as part of efforts to restore hope and pride in the country.
The Tide source reports that the workshop attracted the presence of representatives form Boys Scout Association of Nigeria, Girls Guide Association of Nigeria and Man O’ War Nigeria.
Others were Red Cross Society of Nigeria, Boys Brigade Nigeria, National Cadet Corps (School-Based) and War Against Indiscipline (WAI) Brigade.
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