The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned a woman, Modupe Oriyomi Ativie, over alleged visa fraud involving N31.06m, $3,600 and €1,815.
Ativie was arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on visa fraud, advance fee fraud and obtaining money under false pretences before Justice A.T. Muhammed of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The EFCC’s Port Harcourt Zonal Directorate accused Ativie and her company, Eudora and Aegle Management Consulting Limited, of allegedly collecting money from victims under the pretext of securing Canadian visa-sponsored employment for them.
One of the charges alleged that Ativie and the company obtained N8.58m from Atamuotoru Dikiari Michael through his sister, Rita Chikeru Owhonda, in July 2024, under the guise of securing Canadian visa-sponsored employment for him.
The commission said the alleged offence contravened Section 1(1)(a) and (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and was punishable under the same law.
Another count alleged that the defendant and her company obtained N22.482m from Augustine Olague between November 21, 2024, and January 23, 2025, under the same pretext.
Ativie pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following her plea, prosecution counsel, I. Agwu, asked the court to fix a date for trial and remand the defendant at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre pending the determination of the case.
However, defence counsel, J. Kehinde, applied for bail to enable her to prepare for trial.
Justice Muhammed ordered that the defendant be remanded in the EFCC custody and adjourned the case until October 16, 2026, for a ruling on her bail application.
The arraignment followed a petition by Michael Aiamunotorudikari, who alleged that he and other victims lost money in different currencies to the defendant.
According to the petition, Owhonda introduced the company to the petitioner in June 2024 as an agency that secured Canadian visas and employment opportunities for prospective travellers.
The petitioner alleged that he initially paid $5,800 into the defendant’s company account and subsequently transferred N8.58m into another account linked to her.
He claimed that Ativie became unreachable after receiving the payments and that his efforts to recover the money were unsuccessful.
The EFCC said its investigation revealed that the defendant received a total of N31.062m from the petitioner and $3,600 and €1,815 from other alleged victims.