CITIZENS COMPASS— An officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps, (FRSC) on Wednesday narrated how he became a victim of an alleged N740m investment scam operated by a business mogul in Nigeria.
His narration followed the trial of the Chief Executive Officer of Onome Global Market Resources Limited and Lexicon Multi-concept Media Limited Osabohein Alex Ologbose, and his wife Hope Onome Oghelemu which continued on Wednesday, July 1, 2026 before Justice Ekerete Akpan of the Federal High Court, Abuja, with the Second Prosecution Witness, PW2, Modestus Uchenna Okafor, narrating how the couple’s accomplice, Alice Ayeni, lured him into paying the sum of N28,080,000 into her bank account.
The defendants, alongside their two companies, Onome Global Market Resources Limited and Lexicon Multi-concept Media Limited are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a seven-count charge, bordering on obtaining by false pretence, conversion of funds and money laundering to the tune of N740 million (Seven Hundred and Forty Million Naira), contrary to Section 18(2)(b) of the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022 and punished under Section 18(4) of the same Act.
Narrating his ordeal to the court, the witness, an officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps, (FRSC), stated that he met Ayeni in the Nigerian Export Import Bank, NEXIM Bank, when he went to make enquiry on the process of exporting ginger, garlic and other agricultural produce and how to obtain loan to finance the export.
Led in his examination-in-chief by prosecution counsel, O.S.Ujam, the witness disclosed that Ayeni introduced him to the second defendant, Onome Global Market Resources Limited and convinced him that he can do business with the company.
“She brought out the profile of the second defendant and told us that the second defendant is registered with the Corporate Affair Commission, CAC, with NEXIM certificate, and EFCC’s SCUML certificate. Alice Ayeni also told us that she is a director and a partner in the company. She gave us the profile of the second defendant for us to look at and we confirmed what she said to the truth. She also told us that she is a manager in NEXIM bank,” he said.
Testifying further, the witness stated that “Alice also told us that the second defendant, Onome Global has a request to export 30 bags of bitter kola to Hong Kong and that she is also an investor and has 10 slots from the 30 bags of bitter kola requested from Hong Kong. She said she will give me two bags to invest, meaning that she will allow me to invest in the two bags of bitter kola. She gave me an account number to pay the sum of N620,000, that is N310,000 for each bag.”
Responding to the prosecution counsel, he disclosed that he paid the sum N620, 000 into an account Ayeni gave him, of which he said, she acknowledged the receipt of the payment, while he later paid the sum of N28,080,000.00 (Twenty Eight Million, Eighty thousand Naira) directly into Alade’s account for the export of bitter kola and red kola nuts to Hong Kong, China and Indonesia.
“I made payment for Hong Kong, China and Indonesia export of bitter kola and red kolanuts, totalling N28,080,000, (Twenty-eight million, eighty thousand Naira) into the bank account of Alice Ayeni, which she gave to me and there is a confirmation of the receipt of the money by Alice Ayeni and the chats between me and Alice Ayeni I printed them out and I put in a flash drive,” he said.
He further disclosed that after several weeks of failed promises from Ayeni, he and another victim, Ikechukwu Chikelum confronted her and she took them to the residence of the third defendant, Oghelemu.
“I went with my friend who is also an investor to the house of Alice Ayeni. My friend is an investor that I introduced whose name is Mr. Ikechukwu Chikelum. The third defendant assured us that within sometime, the payment will be made and we would receive all our return on investment and we believe her, because of what she said. Weeks passed into months, yet nothing was received, no payment was made. Then, they called for a meeting of all the investors at Living Faith Church,” he said.
He disclosed that during the meeting, the first and third defendant, Ologbose and Oghelemu, respectively, as well as Ayeni apologized to them, claiming that the delay was from the receiving foreign companies, and that they are working hard to ensure that payment is made to them in the shortest possible time.
The witness further revealed that he and other victims opted to petition the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA to verify the alleged transaction which he said the Foreign Affairs Ministry disclosed that there was no receiving company in Hong Kong and the other Asian countries mentioned in respect of the alleged transaction, while the NPA according to him, disclosed that there was no such shipment as claimed by the defendants.
“We wrote to the Nigerian Port Authority and they replied that no such shipment by the defendants took place. That was when I concluded that I had been defrauded. I and six other investors contacted our lawyer who wrote a petition to the EFCC. My lord, till date I have not received my investment sum or any return on investment.”
During the witness’ cross-examination, by the defence counsel, Femi Peter Joseph, he told the court that on Page 13 of Exhibit B1-74, Ayeni acknowledged the receipt for the sum of N7,000,000, and that on Pages 20 and 21 of the same Exhibit B1-74, she acknowledged the payment of N4,600,000 into Fidelity Bank in the name of Ayobola Anike Ventures Limited.
“On page 56 of exhibit B1-74 I can also see that Alice Ayeni acknowledged the receipt of N2,380,000 from my friend Henry Chucks, who I also introduced. It was paid to the bank account of Ayobola Anike Ventures,” he said.
Justice Akpan adjourned the matter till September 24, 2026, for continuation of trial.
