Economic and Financial Crimes Commission operatives attached to its Enugu Zonal Directorate have arrested one Okeke Chinedu Callistus, also known as Ejike Okeke Michael, over his alleged involvement in a ₦369,325,000 fraud linked to forgery and obtaining by false pretence.
The anti-graft agency said the suspect was apprehended following petitions filed by two victims who accused him of posing as a Bureau De Change (BDC) operator to defraud them of huge sums under the guise of facilitating foreign transactions.
One of the petitioners, Ezeugwu Leonard Chinedu, alleged that he paid ₦157,325,000 to Callistus for onward transfer to his business partner in China. According to him, the suspect claimed he would remit the funds through international banking channels.
Chinedu, however, said only ₦24,030,000 was eventually transferred to his partner, while the suspect provided telex copies purportedly issued by ABA Bank of Cambodia as evidence of payment for the outstanding balance.
The documents were later discovered to be forged when presented to the intended recipient in China.
During interrogation, Callistus reportedly admitted receiving the full amount but confessed to diverting part of the funds for personal use due to financial difficulties in his business.
“I became short of finance for business and used Mr. Ezeugwu’s money to settle other customers I was owing because my business was experiencing a financial setback. I also sent some telex copies to him through WhatsApp, and the copies I forwarded were not the real ones,” the suspect was quoted as saying.
Investigations further revealed that Callistus is not a licensed Bureau De Change operator as he had claimed.
Following his admission, the suspect refunded ₦50 million to Chinedu, leaving an outstanding balance of ₦83,295,000 yet to be repaid.
In a separate petition, another victim, Ernest Agu, alleged that in 2024, Callistus approached him for financial assistance, claiming his funds were domiciled abroad in dollars and promising to repay once accessed.
Agu stated that he transferred a total of ₦212 million to the suspect’s account to facilitate the purported transaction.
However, he alleged that all efforts to recover the money proved abortive, as the invoices and telex documents provided by Callistus were later found to be fake.
Further investigation showed that the suspect refunded ₦167,614,800 to Agu, leaving a balance of ₦44,385,200 unpaid.
The EFCC said the suspect would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.
The Commission reiterated its commitment to cracking down on financial crimes. It warned members of the public to exercise due diligence before engaging in high-value financial transactions, particularly in foreign exchange dealings.
