The Nigeria Police Force says it will investigate allegations linking Nzube Henry Ikeji, a Nigerian socialite, to a $2.5 million investment and romance fraud.
Ifeanyi Uche, director of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Center (NPF-NCCC), disclosed this at a press briefing on Thursday, stressing that the matter would be treated with the seriousness it deserves.
According to Uche, the police would engage the platform that released the investigation in order to verify details and obtain reliable information.
“This morning, I was able to summon my people for us to properly conduct an analysis of the facts that we have seen,” he said.
“We have not been contacted by the YouTuber so what we have on ground is just the information that is out there in the media.
“We are analysing it for us to do justice. We will try and see how we can link up with the YouTuber and see if we can get credible information.
“It is a very serious issue and as you all know that the Nigeria Police Force cannot sweep it under the carpet. We will treat that seriously.”
The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) recently released a documentary alleging that Ikeji impersonated the Crown Prince of Dubai to defraud a Romanian businesswoman of $2.5 million through a romance-driven humanitarian investment scheme.
According to the investigation, the alleged scam began about three years ago after the woman, identified as Laura, was contacted on LinkedIn by an account claiming to belong to the Dubai Crown Prince.
The OCCRP report stated that the impersonator expressed interest in investing in a humanitarian project in Romania through her.
The investigation further said their online exchanges later developed into what appeared to be a romantic relationship.
At some point, the impostor reportedly asked Laura to meet his financial manager in London to facilitate the opening of an account with a British bank.
She was subsequently given login credentials to a bank account, where she saw a deposit of over £200,000. She later discovered that the account was cloned and that the funds were fictitious.
Before realising this, the Romanian businesswoman had transferred more than $2.5 million into the account and later became distressed about how to recover her money.
The report added that one of the disgruntled partners in the alleged scheme later revealed the true identity of the fake Dubai Crown Prince to Laura, identifying him as “Nzube Henry Ikeji, and also sent her a video showing him at what was described as his newly acquired mansion.
As part of the investigation, the OCCRP team travelled to Abuja to meet journalist Chikezie Omeje while tracking the activities of the fake Dubai Crown Prince.
Ikeji was eventually traced by the OCCRP team to his newly acquired mansion in Abuja.
His lavish lifestyle, according to the report, was evident from videos and photographs posted on his Instagram account.
One of the images on his Instagram page showed him posing with the inspector-general of police, Kayode Egbetokun.