Detectives at the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex in Alagbion, Ikoyi, Lagos, have revealed that they have found N50 million that was taken out of the struggling Nollywood star Mr. John Okafor, also known as Mr. Ibu’s compromised bank account.
As a result, Jasmine Okekeagwu, Ibu’s lover, and her son Onyebuchi Okafor were detained and taken to court on charges of stealing and conspiracy.
The FCID spokesperson, ASP Mayegun Aminat, stated that their arrest came about as a result of a petition that Diamond Waves Law filed on behalf of Ibu’s wife, Stella Maris Okafor, on September 6, 2023. In the petition, it was claimed that Ibu’s sons, Daniel and Valentine Okafor, as well as one of the sons’ lovers, Jasmine Okekeagwu, had planned to defraud Ibu.
“Investigation into the case established that 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 publicized and dedicated for the purpose,”
she said, referring to the findings of the investigation.
At first, Mrs. Stella Maris Chinyere Okafor, Mr. Ibu’s wife, was in charge of handling the money to pay for Mr. Ibu’s medical expenses and support the family.
But somewhere along the line, Onyeabuchi Daniel Okafor and Jasmine Chioma Okekeagwu got hold of Mr. Ibu’s phone, hacked into the banking information, and misled Mrs. Stella Maris Okafor.
In order to complete their premeditated fraudulent plans, they then reinstalled Mr. Ibu’s mobile banking applications on Onyeabuchi Daniel Okafor’s phone and removed the original banking applications from Mr. Ibu’s phone. This gave them complete control over Mr. Ibu’s banking activities with regard to the money that the public has donated to support his medical expenses.
Using this fraudulent act, Onyeabuchi Okafor and Jasmine Okekeagwu began moving money from Mr. Ibu’s public fund raising account to Onyeabuchi Okafor’s personal bank. Their illicit financial dealings were forensically analyzed, and the results showed that N55 million had been successfully and illegally transferred before they were apprehended and their case was opened.
The investigation also turned up text messages exchanged via WhatsApp between Daniel Okafor and Jasmine Chioma that described their illegal plans in detail, step-by-step.
Additionally, it was determined that Jasmine Okekeagwu and Onyeabuchi Okafor, the two suspects, had gotten married in a false marriage at the Ikoyi Marriage Registry with the intention of fleeing the nation and entering the United Kingdom to settle with their stolen money. Before they were arrested, they had previously applied for a UK visa in order to carry out their plot.
Investigation revealed that the N55 million that had been stolen had been tracked to Onyeabuchi Okafor’s bank account, where N5 million had been spent on dubious activities. The remaining N50 million had been retrieved from him.
Onyeabuchi Okafor and Jasmine Okekeagwu have been charged with conspiracy and theft before Chief Magistrates Court 1, Yaba, under Charge No. A/06/2024, based on the strength of the evidence. Their case was postponed to March 11, 2024, and they were given bail in the amount of N15 million with two sureties in the same amount.
“The casefile has been sent to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for legal advice in the interim.”