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EFCC arraigns three in Ibadan over alleged N30m Canadian visa fraud
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

EFCC arraigns three in Ibadan over alleged N30m Canadian visa fraud

From Vanguard · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned three individuals in Ibadan, Nigeria, over alleged N30 million Canadian visa fraud.
  • The suspects are accused of forgery, uttering documents, and obtaining money by false pretenses, promising to facilitate visas and travel arrangements.
  • The Oyo State High Court in Ibadan has adjourned the case for bail applications and trial, with the defendants remanded in custody.

Three individuals have been brought before the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan, Nigeria, facing charges related to an alleged N30 million Canadian visa fraud scheme. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accuses the suspects of forgery, uttering documents, and obtaining money through false pretenses.

The accused, Emmanuel Serah Motunrayo, Awotunde Olugbenga, and Idowu Olugbemi Sunday, were separately arraigned by the EFCC's Ibadan Zonal Directorate before Justice Olusola Adetujoye. Motunrayo and Olugbenga face a combined 47 counts related to alleged fraud totaling N23.4 million. The EFCC claims they posed as travel agents, promising to secure Canadian visas and travel arrangements for victims but failed to deliver after collecting substantial sums.

The suspects, Emmanuel Serah Motunrayo, Awotunde Olugbenga and Idowu Olugbemi Sunday, were separately arraigned by the Ibadan Zonal Directorate of the EFCC before Justice Olusola Adetujoye.

— Dele OyewaleStatement issued by the EFCC Head of Media and Publicity detailing the arraignments.

Specific charges include obtaining N12.36 million from one victim and N11.03 million from another for purported visa arrangements. The prosecution alleges the defendants also forged Canadian visa documents, presenting them as genuine. In one instance, they are accused of obtaining N527,000 from a victim for a visa and flight ticket that were never provided. The forged document in question was dated for June 20, 2025.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

— Court RecordThe defendants' response to the charges presented in court.

Idowu Olugbemi Sunday faces separate charges involving an alleged N6.65 million fraud, also related to securing Canadian visas for a victim and their family. The EFCC claims Sunday obtained this sum between June 2025 and January 2026 under false pretenses.

All defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. The prosecution requested their remand pending trial, while the defense filed bail applications. Justice Adetujoye adjourned the hearing for the bail applications to August 26, 2026, and ordered the defendants to be remanded at the Agodi Correctional Centre in Ibadan.

Justice Adetujoye subsequently adjourned the matter until August 26, 2026, for hearing of the bail applications and ordered that the two defendants be remanded at the Agodi Correctional Centre, Ibadan.

— Court RecordThe judge's decision regarding the next steps in the legal proceedings.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Vanguard. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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