By Paul Iyoghojie
A 29-year-old man, Baggio Eghwrudjakpor, suspected of impersonating an American citizen, has been arrested by operatives of Zone 2 Command in Onikan, Lagos. He has been charged in a Lagos Magistrate’s Court for allegedly defrauding an American citizen and several unsuspecting Nigerians out of $350,000.
Eghwrudjakpor reportedly collected this amount—approximately N525 million—from Wanda Kelker and other Nigerian victims by posing as an American citizen. He allegedly used fake documents, including a Delta State Government number plate, an American driver’s license, and counterfeit bank cheques from various companies and individuals.
The scheme unraveled when the victims discovered that Eghwrudjakpor was not the American citizen he claimed to be and that all of his documents were fraudulent. They subsequently reported him to the police at Zone 2 Command, leading to his arrest at a Lagos hideout.
Following an investigation led by Inspector Oladejo Johnson, Eghwrudjakpor was charged at the Igbosere Magistrate’s Court with five counts, including impersonation, forgery, obtaining money under false pretenses, and theft. Prosecuting Counsel ASP Francis Igbinosa informed the court that the offenses occurred between September 2023 and July 2024.
Igbinosa emphasized that Eghwrudjakpor knowingly used fake documents to perpetrate the romance scam. The charges against him fall under various sections of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
Eghwrudjakpor pleaded not guilty, and Magistrate Davies granted him bail set at N2.5 million with two sureties of the same amount. The case is scheduled for mention on September 26, 2024, and the defendant will remain at the Ikoyi Correctional facility until his bail conditions are met.
