Nzube Ikeji: Police probe Nigerian socialite caught in $2.5m romance scam

Nzube

The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre has commenced the profiling of a Nigerian socialite, Nzube Ikeji, who allegedly posed as the Dubai Crown Prince to defraud a Romanian woman, simply identified as Laura.

The Commissioner of Police in charge of the NPF National Cybercrime Centre, Uche Ifeanyi, disclosed this while speaking with Saturday PUNCH on Friday, noting that investigations had been intensified following a review of information circulating in the media.

A viral documentary published on Wednesday by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project alleged that Ikeji impersonated the Dubai Crown Prince in a romance and humanitarian investment scam that reportedly cost the victim about $2.5m.

According to the report, the alleged fraud began about three years ago after Laura was contacted on LinkedIn by an account claiming to belong to the Dubai Crown Prince.

The documentary further alleged that internal disagreements among members of the syndicate later led to the exposure of the scheme.

It claimed that one of the aggrieved accomplices eventually reached out to Laura, disclosed the true identity of the impersonator as Nzube Henry Ikeji, and sent her a video purportedly showing him at a newly acquired mansion.

The documentary team was also said to have travelled to Abuja, where they met a journalist, Chikezie Omeje, to assist in tracking the alleged impersonator. Punch