Operatives of the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested Mbah Sophina for allegedly committing a criminal breach of trust and obtaining money by false pretence.
EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
Mr Oyewale said Ms Sophina allegedly defrauded a victim of N19 million and €8,370 under the pretext of procuring a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for him.
“Sophina, 33, was arrested following claims of a petitioner that sometime in 2024, he informed the suspect, whom he met on TikTok, of his intention to relocate to the United Kingdom through a CoS in order to work as a caregiver,” the statement said.
The suspect, who claimed to be an Assistant Psychologist at Priory Health Unit in Glasgow, Scotland, claimed that she had contacts who could secure a CoS at the cost of €12, 000 to €13,000.
The petitioner said Ms Sophina instructed that payments be made partly in Nigerian Naira and partly in Euros.
“She provided her bank details for Naira payments and the foreign accounts of her associates for Euro payments, claiming she does not use her personal foreign accounts for business transactions,” the petitioner said.
He said he paid the sum of N19 million in eight tranches between 8 August 2024 and 12 November 2024, while the Euro payments were made in four tranches between 12 August 2024 and 21 November 2024.
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However, after acknowledging receipt of payments, the suspect failed to deliver the document as promised, as the petitioner waited for months.
He thereafter requested a refund, only for the suspect to send a fake transfer notification before blocking him on social media.
“In the course of the investigation, the suspect claimed that the money was handed over to another individual, but was nonchalant in assisting the investigators in reaching the person.
“The suspect will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded,” the EFCC said.
