Crime
NIGERIAN MONARCH PLEADS FOR LENIENCY IN $4.2 MILLION COVID-19 RELIEF FRAUD CASE
The Apetu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, has pleaded for leniency before a United States court after admitting his role in a $4.2 million COVID-19 relief fraud. In a sentencing memorandum filed on August 19, 2025, before Judge Christopher Boyko of the Northern District of Ohio, the monarch’s legal team argued that the unprecedented disruption of the coronavirus pandemic influenced his decision to commit the offense.
“COVID-19 affected all of us differently. Conduct that we would never expect from ourselves or others sometimes manifested itself as we encountered a completely different society,” his counsel said. While conceding that the pandemic was not an excuse, the defense maintained it was a major factor, particularly for the 62-year-old royal, who battled health challenges during the outbreak.
Oba Oloyede, a father of six and foster parent to several others, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in May 2024 after vanishing from Nigeria two months earlier. His absence raised concerns in Ipetumodu, Osun State, especially after he missed major cultural festivals, including Odun Egungun and Odun Edi.
Prosecutors accused him of orchestrating a scheme in which six companies under his control filed fraudulent applications for U.S. federal relief funds under the Paycheck Protection Programme (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) scheme. Court documents revealed that portions of the illicit proceeds were laundered through personal and corporate accounts, leading to the seizure of a Medina County property in Ohio and confiscation of over $96,000 from one of his company’s bank accounts.
Before returning to Nigeria in 2019 to ascend the throne of Ipetumodu, Oba Oloyede had built a respectable career in the United States as a banker and adjunct professor. His lawyers told the court that his involvement in the fraud was a stark deviation from his record of service, responsibility, and community leadership. They added that he had demonstrated remorse and taken full responsibility for his actions.
The monarch was granted bail after surrendering both his Nigerian and U.S. passports and has remained under strict court supervision since then. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 26, 2025, with possible penalties ranging from a lengthy prison term to forfeiture of assets, depending on the judge’s ruling.
A 30-year-old pregnant woman is currently receiving medical treatment after she was allegedly raped and assaulted by a 24-year-old suspect, identified as Ugwu Desmond, in Affa community, Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.
According to the Enugu State Police Command, the incident occurred on the night of March 14, 2026, when the victim was returning home from a neighbour’s house along a quiet path in Amokwo-Affa.
Police said the suspect, armed with a cutlass, reportedly trailed the victim before attacking her from behind. He allegedly forced her to the ground, attempted to strangle her, and covered her mouth to prevent her from raising alarm. The assailant then dragged her into an uncompleted building where he threatened to kill her before raping her and inflicting injuries.
The victim reportedly managed to survive the ordeal and reported the incident to authorities around 6:15 a.m. the following day, prompting swift action by operatives of the Affa Police Division, who arrested the suspect.
The police said the victim was immediately taken to hospital for treatment, while investigators processed the scene and recovered key exhibits, including the cutlass used in the attack and clothing suspected to contain blood and seminal stains.
The Command’s spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, confirmed the development, adding that the suspect has confessed to the crime.
Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, described the incident as disturbing and assured that a thorough investigation is ongoing. He stated that the suspect would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.
Giwa also urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities promptly, stressing that community awareness is critical to preventing crime.
A Nigerian national, James Junior Aliyu, has been sentenced to 90 months (seven and a half years) in prison in the United States for his involvement in a large-scale wire fraud and money laundering scheme.
According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Aliyu played a key role in a transnational cybercrime network that targeted business email systems and defrauded individuals and organisations of millions of dollars.
Investigations revealed that the fraud scheme involved hacking into corporate email accounts and using them to divert funds through fraudulent transactions. Authorities said the operation affected multiple victims and formed part of a broader business email compromise (BEC) conspiracy.
Aliyu was arrested in South Africa in 2022 following an international investigation involving Interpol and local law enforcement before being extradited to the United States to face trial.
The 30-year-old later pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. As part of the sentence, the court ordered him to forfeit $1.2 million and pay $2.4 million in restitution to victims.
Authorities also confirmed that Aliyu will be deported after completing his prison term.
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested a suspected gunrunner, Kelvin Ebikeniye Dugo, in Cross River State, intercepting a cache of 850 rounds of live ammunition.
The arrest, which took place on March 16 at Ivara Esu Estate in Odukpani Local Government Area, followed credible intelligence on the suspect’s alleged plan to acquire the ammunition.
Security sources said Dugo was apprehended shortly after receiving the consignment, which had been concealed inside food items. The ammunition was reportedly supplied by another suspected gunrunner, Azenda Barnabas, also known as Jagaban, based in Aliade, Benue State.
Items recovered during the operation included 850 rounds of live ammunition and two empty AK-47 magazines.
The sources noted that the DSS has stepped up operations nationwide in a bid to dismantle gunrunning networks and curb the proliferation of illegal arms.
They added that the latest arrest underscores the agency’s ongoing commitment to tracking down and prosecuting individuals involved in arms trafficking across the country.