Woman, 49, Docked For Swindling Victim Of N4.5m Over Canadian Visa 

KINGSLEY EBERE 

A 49-year old woman, Chizea Angela, has been arrested and charged in Lagos State for allegedly swindling a woman, Cynthia Nkechikwuru, to the tune of the sum of N4.5m under the false pretence of procuring Canadian visa, which turned out to be a scam. 

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the incident happened in December, 2023 in Lagos, where she collected the money and has been into hiding before she was recently apprehended.

According to the Police, the suspect contacted the complainant and asked her to bring the money to in order to procure the visa because she had contact with the Canadian authorities for the procurement.

The complainant believed her, gave her the money and she promised to procure the visa within an agreed period. However, after she collected the money,  she went into hiding and disconnected every communication she had with the complainant and did not procure the visa as she promised.

The matter was reported at the Police at Area F Command. The Police operatives moved into action, eventually arrested the suspect and subsequently charged her before the Ogba Magistrate Court for the alleged offence which attracts several years of imprisonment.

The charges read:

COUNT 1: “That you, CHIZEA ANGELA ‘F’ and one other now at large sometime in December, 2023, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did conspire together to commit felony by defrauding one CYNTHIA NKECHIKWURU ‘F’ of her money and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provision of Section 411 of the Criminal Laws Lagos State of Nigeria.”

COUNT II: “That you, CHIZEA ANGELA ‘F’ and one other at large on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial district, did obtain the sum of Four Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N4,500,000) under the pretence to procure a working and visiting Canadian Visa for One CYNTHIA NKECHIKWURU ‘F’ which you never did and thereby committed an offence under Section 314 of the criminal laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.”

COUNT III:”That you, CHIZEA ANGELA ‘F’ and one other at large in the aforementioned Magisterial district, did conduct yourselves in a manner likely to cause breach of the peace by refusing to refund the money you obtained from CYNTHIA  Nkechikwuru, and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provision of Section 168(d) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.”

However, she pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor,Supol Philip Ademigbuji, asked the Court to give a date for hearing since she pleaded not guilty to enable the Police to prove that she actually committed the alleged offence.

The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. O. Kusanu, granted her bail with two sureties, who must show evidence of means of livelihood and tax payment while addresses will be verified by the Court.

The matter was adjourned for mention while the defendant was remanded in custody at the correctional center at Kirikiri town, Lagos, pending when she will perfect her bail conditions.