The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned two brothers on charges of impersonation, money laundering and defrauding an American.

Christian Ajim and Onubuogu Ajim allegedly defrauded their victim, Chebet Chumba, of $43,850 and N 18.675 million.

The siblings pleaded not guilty to all four counts during their arraignment before the trial judge, Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Enugu, on 28 November.

However, EFCC’s prosecuting counsel, Michael Ani, prayed to the court for a trial date and for the siblings to be remanded at the Enugu State Correctional Facility.

After listening to both parties, the trial judge, remanded the siblings at the Enugu State Correctional facility adjourned till 21 January 2025 for hearing of their bail application.

EFCC said in its statement on Wednesday that the arrest of the siblings came after the petitioner, Ms Chumba, reported the alleged scam.

Upon investigation, the commission said, it discovered that the defendants specialised in love scams, using fake social media accounts.

The commission also stated that the defendants were found with fraudulent documents.

Below are two of the four counts preferred against them.

“Count two of the charge reads; “That you, Ajim Kerison Onubuogu, sometime between April and July 2023 in Enugu, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, fraudulently impersonated one Chris M. Akaa, a resident of Atlanta, GA. In the United States of America by means of computer system through a fake Facebook Account, which you gained the sum of Forty-three Thousand, Eight Hundred and Fifty Dollar ($43, 850) from one Chebet Chumba by intentionally sending to her, love messages that you knew to be false, in order to gain advantage of yourself and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22 (3) (a) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22 (4) of the same Act,” the statement reads in part.

Part of the charge indicting the other sibling reads, “That you, Ajim Tochukwu Christian, sometime between 19th March, 2023 and 9th May, 2024 in Enugu, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria did commit a felony to wit: using and taking possession of an aggregate sum of Eighteen million, Six Hundred and Seventy-five Thousand, One Hundred and Thirty-three Naira, Seventy-five Kobo (N18, 675, 133. 75), belonging to one Chebet Chumba, through your Opay Digital Service Ltd account number 8067016437, knowing same to be fund that forms part of proceeds of an unlawful act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2022 as amended and punishable under Section 18 (3) of the same Act.”

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