School Owner Arrested for Alleged Visa, Scholarship Fraud in Uyo

Court

By JUMOKE SANNI

Operatives of the Uyo Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission , EFCC, have arrested an alleged serial fraudster Mrs. Imaobong Cyril Okpong for her alleged involvement in a series of visa fraud schemes and fake offers of foreign scholarships for nonexistent studies abroad.

Okpong was arrested following claims of a petitioner, Dr. (Mrs.) Blessing Nse Bassey, a clinician, that alleged that the suspect defrauded her of the sum of ₦3,000,000 (Three Million Naira) under the guise of securing a University admission for her and also processing Canadian visas for her and her husband.

According to Bassey, the suspect contacted her sometime in February 2024 with a supposed opportunity to secure a scholarship and study visa abroad. She explained that she didn’t make any payment until the suspect signed an indemnity agreement, which she notarized before making the ₦3,000,000 electronic transfer into the suspect’s First Bank account

However, after receiving the payment, Okpong allegedly became unreachable and started rejecting calls on her mobile lines as she completely failed to deliver on her promise and terms of the signed agreement.

Bassey claimed that the suspect had defrauded many victims, especially one of her friends “I met in China who got stranded in China when she got there and realized that there was no scholarship. Some of her victims had travelled abroad with fake documents that left many of them stranded overseas while some others faced deportation with huge financial losses”

The suspect, an alleged owner of Michael Udonquak Schools , Mbierebe in Akwa Ibom State, will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.