Police recover N50m stolen from Mr Ibu, charge son, adopted daughter to court

Detectives at the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex in Alagbion, Ikoyi, Lagos, have found N50 million that was allegedly taken out of the hacked bank account of Mr John Okafor, a popularly known as Mr Ibu, an ailing Nollywood actor.

Jasmine Okekeagwu, the lover of Onyebuchi Okafor, the son of Mr. Ibu, was also arrested as a result of this.

They were then charged with conspiracy and theft in court.

The arrest came about as a result of a September 6, 2023, petition that Diamond Waves Law filed on behalf of Mr. Ibu’s wife, Stella Maris Okafor, according to FCID spokesperson ASP Mayegun Aminat.

The petition alleged that Jasmine Okekeagwu, Valentine and, Daniel Okafor, and Mr. Ibu’s sons colluded to defraud Mr. Ibu.

She claims that an investigation showed that Mr. Ibu started a public fundraising campaign that drew contributions from the public, entertainment industry insiders, and fans in an attempt to pay for his medical expenses.

“Mrs. Stella Maris Chinyere Okafor, Mr. Ibu’s wife, initially managed the funds for medical bills and family support.

“However, Onyeabuchi Daniel Okafor and Jasmine Chioma Okekeagwu allegedly manipulated Mrs. Stella Maris Okafor, gaining access to Mr. Ibu’s phone and hacking into his banking details,” Aminat stated.

She gave an explanation of how the two gained access to Mr. Ibu’s mobile banking apps, deleted the old ones, installed a new one on Daniel Okafor’s phone, and started making unauthorized transfers from the public fundraising account to Daniel Okafor’s personal bank account.

Prior to their arrest, N55 million was allegedly transferred illegally.

The remaining N50 million was successfully recovered, she said, after a forensic investigation linked the stolen money to Onyeabuchi Okafor’s account and revealed that N5 million had been used on dubious activities.

Investigations further revealed that Jasmine Okekeagwu and Onyeabuchi Okafor, the two suspects, had a fictitious marriage at the Ikoyi Marriage Registry with the intention of fleeing the nation and settling in the United Kingdom with their stolen money.

Prior to their arrest, they had previously applied for a UK visa in order to carry out the plot.

Jasmine Chioma and Daniel Okafor’s WhatsApp texts, which described their criminal schemes in detail, were also discovered during the investigation.

The Chief Magistrates Court 1, Yaba, has charged Onyeabuchi Okafor and Jasmine Okekeagwu; the case has been postponed to March 11, 2024.

Both were given bail in the sum of N15 million, along with two sureties in the same amount.

For legal counsel, the case file has been sent to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

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