Tuesday, November 3, 2026

‘Senator’ nabbed for €5.7 million internet fraud: EFCC

The suspect, bearing many aliases (Fahad Makwe, Senator Tompolo, Tom Makwe, Dr Bran), defrauded a Spaniard of €5.7 million,” said the EFCC

• June 27, 2023
EFCC operatives used to illustrate the story
EFCC operatives used to illustrate the story

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a fake senator, Ifechukwu Makwe, over alleged €5.7 million internet fraud.

EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said this in a statement on Monday.

According to the statement, Mr Makwe was arrested in the Guzape area of Abuja following credible intelligence about his internet-related fraud activities.

“Upon arrest, it was discovered that the suspect, bearing many aliases (Fahad Makwe, Senator Tompolo, Tom Makwe, Dr Bran), defrauded a Spaniard of €5.7 million,” said the EFCC. “Makwe allegedly claimed to be a U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent and diplomatic solicitor, succeeded in defrauding his victim using fake identities.”

The anti-graft commission added, “The suspect allegedly started defrauding the victim since 2013 when he first met her on social media.”

EFCC said the suspect would be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded. 

(NAN) 

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

Nigerian Bar Association

States

Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future

The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Putin and Zelenskyy in military camouflage

World

Russian strike on humanitarian centre killed at least 26 Ukrainians: Officials

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described it as “a vile terrorist strike”, accusing Russia of deliberately targeting civilians receiving humanitarian assistance.

Afreximbank building

Economy

Continent’s financial leaders to meet at 2026 Africa Compliance Forum

Afreximbank said African banks operated under different legal systems and supervisory approaches, making regulatory cooperation crucial to reducing trade barriers.

ADC chieftains

Politics

2027 Elections: ‘We won’t go to court; matter will be settled on the streets,’ says ADC chief

“We are announcing to Tinubu and the APC that this time around, we will defend ourselves. We will not go to court; we will settle the matter on the streets,” said the ADC chief.

Sultan with Tinubu

Faith

Sultan of Sokoto’s reign has reunited Christians, Muslims in Nigeria: Tinubu

Mr Tinubu described the sultan as “a moral authority, a bridge between faiths, a voice of moderation, and a steady counsellor to leaders across the country”.

Unwieldy telecom cables on Lagos street

Lagos

Lagos gives ISPs deadline to clean up network cables

LASIMRA warned that enforcement operations would begin on Monday, urging all concerned firms to complete the required work before the deadline to avoid sanctions.

Trump sitting with Ramaphosa

Economy

Trump removes South Africa from AGOA citing corruption, national security concerns

The suspension would take effect on January 1, 2027, further complicating already strained relations between Washington and South Africa.