The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a self-styled native doctor and his wife for allegedly scamming a woman of over N1 billion. Olorunbukunmi Taiwo and his spouse, Awolegan Omotola, were brought before the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, the EFCC said in a statement on Monday.
According to the commission, the couple allegedly obtained N1 billion fraudulently from a private school proprietor, Anazia Kenechukwu, from Delta State, under the pretext of using the money to finance a road construction contract. The EFCC said the couple falsely claimed that the contract was awarded to them by the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC) and approached Ms Kenechukwu to provide the funds to finance it.
The commission, which launched an investigation after Ms Kenechukwu filed a complaint, said it found that the couple used the money to acquire two properties in Ado-Ekiti: Town Tavern Lounge, located at No. 1, Ikere Road, off Florence Court School, Ado-Ekiti, and a four-bedroom bungalow located on Florence Court, Irewolede Estate, Ado-Ekiti. On 25 May, the EFCC secured an order of interim forfeiture of the two properties. Thereafter, the anti-graft agency arrested the suspects.
The EFCC subsequently arraigned the couple on six counts of obtaining money by false pretence and retention of proceeds of crime. The exact date of the arraignment was not stated in the statement shared on Monday. The commission alleged in one of the counts that sometime between January 2024 and November 2025, in Ilorin, Kwara State, the defendants obtained N1 billion (N1,098,961,500) from Ms Kenechukwu, which was paid through Mr Taiwo’s account number 0027303340 domiciled with Access Bank Plc.
The count said the defendants allegedly obtained the funds by falsely representing that the money would be used to execute a road construction contract awarded to them by DESOPADEC. The prosecution said the couple knew their claim to be a pretence and false. It said the defendants thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act. The section addresses the retention of proceeds of fraud and provides that anyone found liable on conviction shall be imprisoned for a term not less than five years or fined an amount equivalent to five times the value of the proceeds, or both.
The couple denied the allegations by pleading not guilty to all six counts, prompting EFCC’s lawyer, Sesan Ola, to request their remand and a trial date. Trial judge Abubakar Usman ordered their remand in EFCC custody and fixed 11 June for hearing of the bail application and commencement of trial.
This case joins a line of others involving couples as co-defendants. In February, the anti-graft agency arraigned a couple in Abuja for N740 million fraud. Similarly, that couple was alleged to have used part of the money to establish a music and photo studio at Crowther Plaza, Gudu District, Abuja.
