EFCC arraigns woman over N31m, $3,600, €1,815 visa fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned a woman, Modupe Oriyomi Ativie, before the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, over alleged visa fraud involving N31.06m, $3,600 and €1,815.

Ativie was arraigned by the EFCC’s Port Harcourt Zonal Directorate before Justice A.T. Muhammed on a five-count charge bordering on visa fraud, advance fee fraud and obtaining money under false pretences.

This was disclosed in a Tuesday statement posted on the EFCC’s X account.

One of the charges reads, “That you, Modupe Oriyomi Ativie and Eudora and Aegle Management Consulting Limited, sometime in July, 2024 at Port Harcourt, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did obtain the sum of Eight Million, Five Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira (N8,580,000.00, only) from One Atamuotoru Dikiari Michael through his sister, Rita Chikeru Owhonda by false pretence under the guise of offering a visa sponsored employment to Canada for him, which pretext you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) & (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related offences Act 2006 and Punishable under same section of the same Act,” the charge stated.

Another count reads, “That you Modupe Oriyomi Ativie and Eudora and Aegle Management Consulting Limited between 21st November, 2024 to 23rd January, 2025 at Port Harcourt, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did obtain the sum of Twenty-Two million, Four Hundred and Eighty-Two Thousand Naira (N22,482,000.00, only) from one Augustine Olague by false pretence under the guise of offering a visa sponsored employment to Canada for him, which pretext you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (a) & (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act,” the charge stated.

Ativie pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, prompting prosecution counsel, I. Agwu, to ask the court to fix a trial date and remand the defendant at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre pending trial.

Defence counsel, J. Kehinde, applied for bail to enable her prepare for the trial.

Justice Muhammed subsequently ordered that Ativie be remanded in EFCC custody and adjourned the case until October 16, 2026, for a ruling on her bail application.

The EFCC said the case followed a petition by Michael Aiamunotorudikari, who alleged that he and other victims lost money in different currencies to the defendant.

According to the statement, “He disclosed that his sister Rita Chikeru Owhonda introduced Eudora and Aegle Management Consultant to the defendant’s company in June 2024, as an agency that was procuring Canadian visa and employment opportunities for travellers in the country.”

The petitioner alleged that he initially paid $5,800 into the defendant’s Eudora and Aegle Travel Management Consultant account and subsequently transferred N8.58m into another account linked to the defendant.

“According to him, the defendant became incommunicado after the two payments and that all his efforts to recover his money proved abortive,” the statement said.

The Commission added, “Investigation by the Commission revealed that the defendant received an aggregate sum of N31,062,000 (Thirty-one Million and Sixty Two Thousand Naira) from the petitioner and $3,600 (Three Thousand, Six Hundred Dollars) and €1,815,00 (One Thousand, Eight Hundred and Fifteen Euros) from other victims.”