Nigerian Socialite Impersonate Dubai Prince To Defraud Romanian Businesswoman Of $2.5m

A Nigerian socialite, Nzube Henry Ikeji, has been accused of impersonating the Crown Prince of Dubai to allegedly defraud a Romanian businesswoman of $2.5 million.

The allegation is contained in an investigation by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).

In a documentary released by the group, the fraud reportedly began about three years ago when a Romanian entrepreneur identified as Laura received a message on LinkedIn from someone claiming to be Dubai’s Crown Prince.

According to the report, the person said he was interested in funding a humanitarian project in Romania and wanted to work with her.

Their conversations gradually moved to other social media platforms and later developed into what Laura believed was a romantic relationship.

At some point, the man told her to meet his supposed financial manager in London to help open an account with a British bank.

During one of those meetings, Laura asked a business associate to secretly take a photo of the man introduced as the financial manager.

She was later given online access to a bank account that appeared to hold more than £200,000.

However, Laura eventually discovered the account was fake and the money did not exist.

When she tried to withdraw funds, she received an email requesting a large payment before any transaction could be processed.

Over time, Laura transferred more than $2.5 million, hoping to secure the investment.

It was only after growing suspicious that she began looking for ways to recover her money.

The investigation revealed that fight later broke among those allegedly involved in the scheme, as they disagreed over how to divide the funds.

Two of the supposed accomplices reportedly contacted Laura and exposed details of the operation.

When she confronted the man who had claimed to be the Dubai Crown Prince, he allegedly dismissed the accusations, saying the others were trying to cause conflict between them.

Realising she had been deceived, Laura demanded her money back, but her requests were unsuccessful.

One of the disgruntled partners eventually revealed the identity of the alleged impersonator, naming him as Nzube Henry Ikeji.

The source also shared a video showing Ikeji at what he described as his newly acquired mansion.

OCCRP investigators later travelled to Abuja and worked with journalist Chikezie Omeje to trace the suspect.

By reviewing Ikeji’s Instagram posts and those of his wife, they gathered clues about his lifestyle and possible location.

The social media posts showed him displaying an extravagant lifestyle, including trips to London with his family, shopping sprees at luxury stores like Louis Vuitton, and purchases of expensive watches and a car.

In another video, he was seen spraying bundles of cash at a performance by Nigerian singer Davido in Asaba.

At first, investigators struggled to identify the mansion featured in the videos. A breakthrough came after Ikeji’s wife posted about their new home in Abuja.

Further posts, including one showing him with a well-known Nigerian property developer, helped narrow down the search.

After several days of visiting estates in Abuja and comparing them with images shared online, Omeje said he was able to locate the property.

When approached at the residence and asked if he knew Laura, Ikeji reportedly denied any connection.

When questioned about claiming to be the Dubai Crown Prince, he asked how the journalist obtained the information.

The suspect later referred further questions about certain financial transactions to his lawyer.

Meanwhile, Laura had reported the case to police in the United Kingdom, providing the photograph taken during the London meeting.

The man presented as the financial manager was identified as Martins Abhulimhen.

UK authorities reportedly told her that Abhulimhen was already under investigation over suspicious financial activities, which allegedly involved Laura’s funds.

According to the findings, money was transferred from Abhulimhen’s UK account to an account in Nigeria said to belong to Ikeji.

At the time of filing this report, KanyiDaily can’t confirm whether Nzube Henry Ikeji has been arrested or is been investigated by the Nigerian authorities.

KanyiDaily also reported how a nursing tribunal in Australia cancelled the licence of a Nigerian-born nurse for repeatedly sleeping while on duty during night shifts