NBI nabs Filipina’s Nigerian lover, accomplice for swindling, extortion

MANILA, Philippines — A Nigerian national and a supposed accomplice were arrested for allegedly swindling and extorting money from a woman the foreigner had met in an online dating site, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said Tuesday.

NBI Director Dante Gierran identified the suspects as Innocent Uchenna Nkwoka with aliases Steve Edward and Agulu Prince, and Irene Lee Okoro with an alias Jackie Pascual. Another alleged accomplice, Ana Fe Sandoval, remains at large.

NBI-Special Operations Group (NBI-SOG) operatives arrested Agulu Prince and Okoro last January 17 in Las Piñas City, the bureau said.

The apprehension of the two came after a complainant alleged that Agulu Prince and Sandoval had blackmailed her.

The complainant said she met Agulu Prince through social media dating app, Tinder, in February 2018.

Agulu Prince, according to the complainant, used the name Steve Edward and an email address using the same name. After that, the two would exchange messages through email and in August 2018, the complainant accepted the Nigerian national’s marriage proposal.

Last October 2018, the complainant said Sandoval, who claimed to be from the US Embassy, asked P5,600 from her supposedly for the processing of her “fiancé visa” application. Agulu Prince allegedly told the complainant to follow Sandoval’s instruction.

Sandoval then kept asking the complainant for money for the purported visa processing, medical examination, and other documents.

In total, the complainant said she had sent P50,026 to Sandoval, the NBI noted.

The NBI further said the complainant, with her family, went to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on December 5, 2018, to fetch Agulu Prince.

However, someone who claimed to be from the Bureau of Customs called and informed the complainant that she has to send P25,000 through a money remittance service for the release of Agulu Prince, who was supposedly held at Cebu airport for bringing $800,000 dollars to the Philippines.

Sensing she was being “duped,” the complainant refused to send the money but Agulu Prince allegedly demanded her to send the money or he would post the nude photos she had sent him.

Due to this, the complainant sent P10,000 to Sandoval through a money remittance service.

Through investigations and surveillance operations, the NBI-SOG operatives identified Pascual after she was seen claiming the money from a money remittence service.

The NBI said after authorities negotiated with Pascual, she disclosed she would be meeting up with Agulu Prince. This prompted NBI agents to set up an operation that led to the arrest of the Nigerian national.

A cellular phone containing the complainant’s nude photos were recovered from the possession of Agulu Prince.

Agulu Prince and Pascual are currently detained at NBI headquarters and have been presented for inquest proceedings for swindling and robbery extortion in relation to Republic Act (RA) 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, and for violation of RA 9995 or the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009. /kga