Mr Ibu’s adopted daughter, son charged with conspiracy to defraud actor of N55m

Jasmine Okafor, adopted daughter of actor Mr Ibu, and Oyeabuchi Okafor, son of the actor have been charged to court for allegedly conspiring to defraud the actor of N55 million.

The Nigerian Police, through its Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department in Ikoyi, Lagos State disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

The FCID said that they acted on a petition from Diamond Waves Law on behalf of Mr Ibu’s wife Stella Maris Okafor who claimed that the actor’s sons, Onyeabuchi and Valentine Okafor, along Jasmine whose real surname is Okekeagwu, conspired to defraud her husband.

The police statement issued by the spokesperson, ASP Mayegun Aminat, read in parts: “Investigation into the case established that as part of efforts to fund his medical bills, Mr. Ibu launched a public fund-raising initiative and attracted donations from his fans, entertainment industry players, and other well-spirited members of the public into a bank account which he publicised and dedicated for the purpose.”

The FCID revealed that Onyeabuchi and Jasmine manipulated Stella, took possession of Mr Ibu’s phone, and hacked into the banking details.

They were said to have reinstalled the banking app, transferred N55 million from the donations, and planned to escape from the country after a sham marriage.

The FCID, while stating that a sum of N50 million has been recovered from the suspects, added that they have both been charged at the Chief Magistrate Court 1, Yaba in Charge No. A/06/2024 for conspiracy and stealing.

The statement added: “During investigation, the stolen fifty-five million naira (=N=55M) was traced to the Bank Account of Onyeabuchi Daniel Okafor wherein it was discovered that they had squandered a total of five million naira (=N=5M) on questionable transactions, while the balance total of fifty million (=N=50M) has been recovered from him.

“On the strength of evidence, Onyeabuchi Daniel Okafor, and Jasmine Chioma Okekeagwu have been charged to the Chief Magistrate Court 1, Yaba in Charge No. A/06/2024 for conspiracy and stealing. They were granted bail in the sum of =N= 15m with two sureties in like sum while case was adjourned to 11th March, 2024. Meanwhile the casefile has been forwarded to the Office of Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice.”