PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Victor Uzor, 36, a Nigerian national, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge to 48 months’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and more than $1 million in restitution for his role in a $1.1 million business email compromise scheme.
On January 2, 2024, the defendant pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
The scheme typically involved another member of the conspiracy pretending to be a legitimate vendor and emailing a false invoice to the victim organization. Uzor’s role in the offense was to open a series of bank s using the identity of real people, who had no connection to the crime. Another conspirator arranged for the victims to send money to the s opened by Uzor. Uzor then quickly withdrew these funds and moved them to other s before the scam could be discovered.
In total, Uzor helped to steal approximately $1.1 million from the victim businesses and individuals, and unsuccessfully attempted to steal another $400,000. Among the scheme’s victims was a nonprofit provider of mental health care located in Doylestown, PA.
“First, Victor Uzor victimized the people whose identities he stole to facilitate this scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Then he helped prey upon the primary targets of the business email compromise, including a nonprofit organization in Bucks County dedicated to providing behavioral health care for the underprivileged and underserved — a safety net for those in need of care. In stealing from this provider, he shortchanged its employees, patients, and the community. My office is committed to holding able anyone involved in such a clear-cut case of fraud.”
"The FBI works each and everyday to dismantle fraud schemes that affect our citizens," said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. "Alongside our partners, we will continue to bring to justice criminals who orchestrate these scams, and protect the hard-earned assets of our citizens."
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. Livermore.
The Delta State House of Assembly has suspended member representing Ughelli North 1 State Constituency, Matthew Omonade (APC-Ughelli North I) over alleged gross misconduct.
The Speaker of the assembly, Dennis Guwor, announced the suspension at plenary in Asaba on Tuesday, May 14, 2024.
His suspension was sequel to a motion of urgent importance moved by the Majority Leader, Emeka Nwaobi (PDP-Aniocha North
Mr Guwor said the lawmaker would be suspended for 14 legislative days.
“Distinguished colleagues, the member representing Ughelli North 1 State Constituency is, hereby, suspended by this Honourable House for 14 legislative days,” he said.
"By the provisions of the House of Assembly (Powers and Privileges) Law, Cap H6 Laws of Delta State, 2008 and the Standing Orders of the House, the member representing Ughelli North 1 Constituency shall forthwith withdraw from the proceedings of the House for the period of the suspension
"The member representing Ughelli North 1 Constituency should immediately return to the management all government properties in his possession, including the official vehicle.
“The Sergeant-at-Arms should escort the member from Ughelli North 1 out of the hallowed chamber,” he added.
The speaker constituted a committee to investigate the alleged gross misconduct of the lawmaker and give its reports to the house within two weeks.
The committee is headed by the Deputy Speaker, Arthur Akpowowo (PDP-Ethiope East) with the Chief Whip, Perkins Umukoro; Emeka Asemuta (PDP-Ndokwa East) and Mrs Marilyn Okowa-Daramola (PDP-Ika North-East) as .
A Nigerian man, Olubunmi Abodunde, who beat his wife to death with their son's skateboard has been jailed for life in the United Kingdom.
It was reported that Abodunde, 48, and Taiwo Abodunde, 41, moved to the UK from Nigeria with their children in 2022.
Taiwo got a job as a health care assistant nurse at a care home in Cambridge while her husband, who had trained as a civil engineer, was unable to find work in his profession. He worked at Tesco and Wickes and there were arguments about bills.
He was sentenced on May 9, 2024, at Ipswich Crown Court for killing Taiwo at their Exning Road home in Newmarket, Suffolk on November 28, 2023, a day after he was bailed by police.
He changed his plea to guilty during the third day of his trial last month, having previously denied murder.
Judge Martyn Levett described the attack as ‘cold blooded and callous’ before sentencing Abodunde to a mandatory life sentence.
Mr Levett ruled he should serve a minimum of 17 years in prison before being considered for parole.
During the case last month, Stephen Spence, prosecuting, said Abodunde was a jealous man who had accused his wife of having affairs throughout their marriage.
There were also disputes over bills and money, with frequent arguments and violence from both parties, he told the court.
On November 27, Abodunde was arrested after a dispute and bailed.
He was banned from returning to the family home or ing his wife but the next day he returned shortly before Mrs Abodunde finished work and killed her between 9.12am and 9.20am.
In addition to being beaten to death, there were signs she had been strangled and stamped on.
After changing his plea, the jury returned a guilty verdict.
Suffolk Police is under investigation for potential misconduct over prior with Mrs Abodunde before her death.
Suffolk Police referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), in line with standard procedure.
Detective Inspector Dan Connick from Suffolk Police said: “I hope this sentence provides some comfort and reassurance to those most affected by the murder of Taiwo Abodunde, in particular her family and friends."
“Our thoughts remain with the family and all those who knew Taiwo."
A content creator identified as Chidike Emmanuel has been shot dead in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Emmanuel was said to be on set for a production when he was shot dead in the Mpape area.
The skit maker was said to be among six people attacked by some armed men last Saturday, May 11.
People who claim to be familiar with the situation claimed that the attackers, who were armed with machetes, initially demanded money to allow them to film at the location.
Chidike was said to have given the armed men N2,000. What transpired afterwards that led to Emmanuel’s death remains unknown.
Some other cast who ran for safety suffered injuries.
A social media , Loveline Imaobong, informed the public that the victim was in a mortuary.
“The guy in the picture is lying lifeless in the mortuary, he was attacked. Any lead to his family would be appreciated. They should please go to Mpape’s new police station, Berger Quarry. Please repost till it gets to them,” Imaobong wrote.
Imabong further claimed that Chidi was among six persons allegedly attacked by the armed men.
“Six of us were attacked and he died in the process. We’re currently looking for information about any of his family ,” she added.
People close to the deceased have gone on social media to mourn him while demanding justice.
Men of the Lagos State Command have arrested one Tewase Peter and Ternugwa Paul for abducting two teenagers from Benue State.
A statement released today May 13 by the spokesperson of the command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, says the victims, Precious and Agera, were rescued from their abductees in the Ikorodu area of Lagos.
He stated that the victims were kidnapped while their mother was at the market.
The statement in part reads
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims were abducted from their home in Benue State while their mother was away in the market.
After the mother’s numerous unsuccessful attempts to the older victim via his mobile phone, a Good Samaritan answered the phone while the suspects were not at home with the victims, and informed the mother that one of the suspects, Peter, accompanied by his friend, one Paul, had taken her daughters to Lagos with intentions to transport them to Ghana for forced labour.
Upon receiving the information at the Lagos State Police Command, detectives of the State Criminal Investigation Department busted Peter's place at Itaoluwo, Ikorodu, and rescued the victims successfully.
Investigation is ongoing to apprehend all other individuals involved in this crime. Suspects would be arraigned at the conclusion of investigations.”
A yet-to-be-identified young man has been nabbed while allegedly attempting to detonate a bomb in a bank in Jos.
The young man who was tackled to the floor before being taken away by security operatives, reportedly claimed that Boko Haram forced him to do it. The incident happened today, May 13, at Dadin Kowa, Jos.
The Edo State Government has rescued the 4-year-old girl who was used for adult content by her father.
LIB reported that the police arrested the father of the minor in Auchi on Sunday, May 12, 2024, after her semi nude videos and photos sparked public outrage on social media.
Some images also showed the minor in revealing clothes while in the company of her father and some men in a hotel.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Samuel Alli, confirmed the development in a post on social media platform on Monday, May 13.
“The child is now in our custody for proper medical examination and care. We will keep you updated on her welfare. Thank you all for your contributions to ensure our kids are safe and sound both in health and mind,” he wrote
The police in Ogun state are currently on the trail of a Landlady, Bola Abiodun, and her husband simply identified as Sunday, who fled their Temidire community home in the Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State after allegedly disposing of their tenant’s body in a canal.
Punch reports that the deceased simply identified as Iya Ibukun, was knocked down by a hit and run driver on May 5, 2024. After suffering various degrees of injury from the accident, the deceased had turned to self-medication out of concern that she would not be able to pay for her medical bills. After turning to self-medication, her health deteriorated and she ed away in her rented apartment.
The corpse was allegedly taken from the room and disposed of in a nearby canal by the landlady and her husband.
The chairman of the Community Development Association, Mosuru Akindele, was reportedly called by the residents who had suspicions about the alleged occurrence, and the youth leader, Olabode Kazeem, was also ed following the incident.
“There was an accident; a hit-and-run driver allegedly knocked the tenant down. She didn’t go to the hospital and started treating herself at home. She died a few days after the incident. The landlady and her husband conspired to dump the body in a canal,” a police source was quoted as saying
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the police command, SP Omolola Odutola, said the police were working to recover the body from the canal.
“Our men went to the house and discovered a two-year-old boy in a welfare facility. Meanwhile, our men combed the entire canal in search of the body, but we haven’t found anything,” she said
A Nigerian pastor, Michael Oluronbi and his wife Juliana, have been sentenced to jail for 34 years in the UK after Oluronbi was found guilty of sexual offences against six women and a man.
He abused children and adults for over 20 years after convincing the victims to take part in “spiritual bathing to cleanse them of evil spirits.”
Olurnobi was jailed for 34 years for offences of multiple rapes of of his congregation.
He was convicted of “fifteen counts of rape, seven counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault and at least 88 separate occasions on which he raped his victims.”
Birmingham Crown Court heard that some of the victims became pregnant multiple times, but Olurnobi would take them to abortion clinics, as a cover-up for the abuse.
His wife was jailed for 11 years for three counts of aiding and abetting rape, as she assisted Olurnobi in arranging abortions for the victims.
Both defendants will be required to sign the sex offenders’ for life.
Oluronbi was linked to a Christian church in Edgbaston, Birmingham, the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, whose roots were in Nigeria. He had set up his own splinter group at another address and from where he began the “spiritual bathing.” The jury heard how the offences took place in Birmingham and London.
Sentencing “arrogant” Oluronbi on Friday, Judge Buckingham said:
“You claimed that God was instructing you to conduct holy baths. Its real purpose was to fulfil your insatiable sexual appetite. The children feared you and this enabled you to continue your grip. Your offending has had an extreme and severe impact on all of your complainants. Any attempt to suggest otherwise would be without foundation. You abused your position of trust – they trusted you like God.”
The judge continued:
“You did this because you are an arrogant, selfish and vain man. In my judgment, your offending must be one of the worst cases of sexual abuse of multiple children to come before the courts.”
When confronted about his offences, Oluronbi said “The devil made me do it”.
Phil Bradley QC, prosecuting, told the jury:
“The Crown’s case is that Mr Oluronbi used what he called ‘spiritual work’ as a subterfuge for that sexual abuse. The main tactic he employed was to claim that God had instructed him to ister ‘holy baths’ to some of his congregation in order to ‘cleanse’ them and protect them from evil influences. That activity began when his victims were children. There can be no doubt that its real purpose was to serve his sexual gratification.”
He added that for some of the female victims the offending “progressed to repeated rapes, on many occasions leading to unwanted pregnancies and terminations”.
“You will learn that this man, who was revered and feared by his victims, kept a vice-like grip on many of them and continued to abuse them well into adulthood.”
The victims described him as “controlling” and “almost like a king”.
Oluronbi was arrested in May 2023, at Birmingham Airport while trying to leave the UK for Nigeria.
Operatives of the Niger State Police Command have arrested two suspected thieves with stolen goats in Bida Local Government Area of the state.
Spokesperson of the command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, who disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, May 11, 2024, said the suspects confessed that they were in the area to steal goats.
“On 8/5/2024 at about 1000hrs, Police operatives attached to A Div Bida with community sighted and intercepted a Toyota Corolla vehicle with Reg. No. LRG 757 AA at Area-4 Bida, with two persons, namely; Aliyu Zaki 36yrs and Umar Mohammed 20yrs, both of Masaga and Kusodogbo areas of Bida respectively,” the statement read.
"The suspects were found suspicious in the area with the said vehicle, and when questioned, Aliyu zoomed off the vehicle, while Umar also took to his heels. The suspects were pursued and arrested as the Police team was alerted.
"During interrogation, the suspects confessed that they were in the area to steal goats and two goats were stolen, before they were intercepted in the community.
“The suspects are under investigation at A Div Bida and they will be charged to court for prosecution immediately after the investigation.”
Invaders from Cross River State have killed a woman identified as Mrs Blessing Kalu Elem in the Isu community in Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State and injured others.
The attack occurred during another border incursion in the ongoing dispute between the Isu community and the Ukwa community of Odukpani Local Government Area in Cross Rivers state.
Three suspects were reportedly arrested by the police and prompt investigations have been instituted.
The President General of Isu, Hon. Nicholas Kalu, who confirmed the incident at the weekend said the attack was due to a land in Isu, which is rich in limestones and other natural resources.
According to Kalu, the Ukwa people of Cross River attempted to seize the land from the Isu people.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, has condemned the attack on the Isu Community, saying his istration is conscious of protecting the life and properties of its citizens and residents.
Governor Otti stated this on Saturday, May 11, 2024, during his visit to commiserate with the family of the deceased, Mrs Blessing Kalu Elem, to ascertain the extent of damage and empathize with the entire community following the invasion of the community by the Ukwa Community in Cross River State.
Represented by his deputy, Ikechukwu Lekwachi Emetu, the Governor ordered the immediate transfer of scores of gunshot victims to a specialist hospital for proper medical attention.
The Kano State Police Command has arrested a 35-year-old man, Sadiq Zubairu, for the murder of Bello Bukar Adam, a staff of the Kano State Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO).
His corpse was later found at a location in Kumbotso Local Government Area of the state.
Bello’s younger brother, Abdullahi Abubakar, said the deceased was at home around 12pm on Sunday when he received an urgent call from the suspect, Sadiq, who was his confidant and former colleague.
The spokesperson of the command, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, who confirmed the arrest in a statement on Thursday, May 9, said that Sadiq had deceitfully collected the sum of N3m from late Bello on the pretext that he would secure a better job offer for him.
According to the PPRO, Sadiq confessed that he had no means of returning the money to the deceased so he hired two hefty men, conspired with them and killed Bello.
“On 05/05/2024 at about 10:00am, report was received from a resident of Zawaciki Quarters in Kumbotso LGA, Kano State that his elder brother, Bello Bukar Adam, a KEDCO staff, aged 45 years old, 'm', of Zawaciki Housing Estate, Kano had left his home with his Toyota Corolla Motor Vehicle, Ash in Colour since on 04/05/2024 and his whereabouts is unknown,” the statement read.
"On the evening of the same date, there was a report that the deceased body of a male adult had been discovered abandoned at the outskirts of Eastern By, around Bechi Village in Kumbotso LGA, Kano State. The body was removed from the scene by a team of crime-scene Policemen led by Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Kumbotso Division, SP Mustafa Abubakar, who brought the corpse to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, where a Medical Doctor certified the body dead.
"On the developments, the Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command, Mohammed Usaini Gumel, FIPMA, psc raised from the headquarters team of detectives led by the Officer in Charge (O/C), Anti-Kidnapping Squad, SP Aliyu Mohammed Auwal and directed that the suspect (s) be trailed and arrested within 24 hours.
"The team immediately swung into action and arrested one Sadiq Zubairu, aged 35 years old, 'm', of Hotoron Arewa Quarters, Nassarawa LGA on 06/05/2024 at 9:00am.
"During preliminary investigations, the suspect confessed that he conspired with two others, and tly lured the victim to his house who until his death were intimate friends. He narrated that he tied him up, and hit him with sticks and sharp iron on his head and other parts of his body until he became motionless. Thereafter, he loaded the motionless body inside the boot of the deceased's Vehicle, threw him off by the roadside along Eastern By, around Bechi Village and left away with the motor vehicle, a Toyota Corolla, 2015 Model including his Mobile Phone.
"The suspect further confessed that what led to this regrettable incident was after he deceitfully collected the sum of three million naira (N3,000,000:00) from him on the pretext that he would secure a job offer for him. But having realised that he had no means of returning the money to him he hired two hefty guys, conspired with them killed him and hid the Motor Vehicle at a Garage in Hotoro Quarters, Kano. The Vehicle has since been however recovered by the Police.
"While the commiserate with the deceased family on this sad development, the Commissioner of Police reaffirms the commitment of his Command to combating crime in all its forms and to continue to work tirelessly in protecting the lives and property of all Kano residents.
“Finally, the appreciates the good people of the State for their cooperation and urge everyone to remain vigilant and keep reporting any suspicious movement of person(s) or item(s) they come across to the nearest Police Station or through the following Kano State Police Command emergency numbers:- 08032419754, 08123821575, 09029292926.”
Meanwhile, speaking with the Daily Trust, Bello's brother said they were aware that the deceased had a job deal with some people and he was confident of securing the offer.
“Bello was desperately looking for a Federal Inland Revenue Service job offer. He was so hopeful. He was working with Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) and wanted to FIRS. And somebody was soliciting the offer for him," Abdullahi explained.
“When he received a phone call in relation to the job offer, he asked his wife to bring his car key and went to the person waiting for him. Since then we never heard from him. “Since he did not return that Sunday. We decided to track his calls. The last word of his conversation with the person on the other end was Alhamdulillah. From this, we understood that he was lured into believing that the offer was ready-made Abdullahi said the family searched for Bello endlessly, but they could not find him
"We went out in search for him from one mortuary to another; from one hospital to another and from one police station to another. We went to every place we thought corpses could be kept. Yet he was nowhere to be found. We returned home weak.”
Abdullahi said they thought their brother was kidnapped and were expecting the abductors to demand a ransom. But nobody called them to do so.
"On Monday we were at MTD Kano to track his last call again when we received a call from somebody informing us that a corpse was found in Kumbotso LGA and was taken to a police station; and later Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. It was our brother’s corpse. He was gruesomely killed.“
"Tracking testified that Bello’s last call was with Sadiq with whom he worked at KEDCO. Based on a police investigation, Sadiq was found complicit. Sadiq later confessed to killing Bello, even though the investigation is ongoing.
"His car was later recovered, but his phones couldn’t be found. And Sadiq confessed he participated in the killing of Bello. But we don’t know yet who are Sadiq’s accomplices.”
On Tuesday hundreds of relatives and well-wishers gathered at Gama B where Bello was buried. Abdullahi said that the family were in severe pain because Bello trusted Sadiq.
"When Sadiq was sacked from KEDCO, Bello called him back. And they worked together. When Bello was promoted, he made sure Sadiq was reinstated. They worked together until his death. We saw him as our brother’s confidant and subordinate.”
Sani Bala, the spokesperson of KEDCO, who said that the news of the ing of Malam Bello Bukar was tragic and shocking, saying the suspect was not their staff at the time of the incident.
“It was very shocking and sad for the company. He was one of the most hardworking and dedicated staff in the company. Honestly the deceased and the suspect had a cordial working relationship, even though the suspect was not our staff at the time of the incident,” Bala added.
NAFDAC enforcement officers, aided by intelligence from the Nigerian Army's 15 Field Engineering Regiment in Badagry, have dismantled the operations of Mr Chinedu Okafor, an illegal drinks manufacturer operating from his residence at No. 24, MTN Road, Badagry.
According to a statement from the agency, Okafor's suspicious activities caught the attention of the Nigerian Army, leading to his arrest and subsequent handover to NAFDAC officers at the Ports Inspection Directorate, Seme Border. Upon inspection, officers evacuated all equipment and materials used in the production of illicit drinks, effectively shutting down the illegal factory.
Investigations revealed Okafor's longstanding involvement in this criminal activity, which has potentially compromised regulated alcohol drinks in the Badagry area.
The agency mentioned that Okafor will face prosecution, and all offending products will be destroyed, with an estimated value exceeding fifty million naira (₦50,000,000).
ontolegit:
Greetings, all.
I was scammed in an internet related fraud of half a million.
I stay in lagos and the tracker have tracked the scammer down to uromi in Edo state alongside his soft targets i.e the people he calls often including his movements despite the fact that he switched off the line but still uses the phone.
I have reported to the DSS and police here in lagos.
Police in lagos are requesting twice the amount i was scammed to arrest the scammer and repartriate him back to lagos.
The DSS seems unintrested in the case saying the amount is small.
My online family please provide me with any needed help on how to go about it.
Thanks
A Kaduna Chief Magistrates’ Court, on Thursday, May 9, sentenced a 23-year-old student, Rabiu Garba, to 12 strokes of the cane for stealing a laptop and two cell phones.
The Magistrate, Ibrahim Emmanuel, sentenced Garba, who resides at Badiko in Kaduna, after he pled guilty to two counts of tres and theft.
The prosecutor, Insp. Chidi Leo, had told the court that Yusuf Usman, of same address as the defendant, reported the matter at Gabasawa Police Station on May 3.
According to Leo, Garba tresed into the complainant’s room and made away with his laptop valued at N220,000 and two phones valued at N342,000. He said the items were recovered from the defendant while disposing them, but the laptop was no longer functional.
The prosecutor said that the offences contravened the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017.
The convict pled guilty and appealed for leniency from the court, vowing to reform his ways.
The magistrate held that the court was lenient towards Garba because his ission of guilt meant he did not waste the court’s time. He, however, advised the convict to be of good behaviour and desist from crime in the future
Dosunmu-Ogunbi, a Nigerian, has made history as the first black woman to earn a Ph.D. in U-M Robotics at the University of Michigan.
Her remarkable achievement was celebrated during the university's commencement ceremony, where she spoke on the roles of advocates and mentors in realizing her aspirations.
Dosunmu-Ogunbi stressed the significance of inclusion in her address, reflecting on her journey as one of many PhD students initially uncertain of their goals but eventually finding ample opportunities to utilize engineering expertise for societal betterment.
Dosunmu-Ogunbi said, "A Michigan Engineer isn't solely a beacon of scientific and technological prowess. Rather, they embody intellectual curiosity, social consciousness, and the ability to craft collaborative solutions for societal challenges. They foster inclusivity and innovation, fostering a community dedicated to service for the greater good."
Similarly, Professor Rose-Margaret Ekeng-Itua has broken barriers by becoming the world's first black woman to achieve a Ph.D. in Cybernetics. Her research in the field, which explores information processing in both machines and biological systems, highlights her unwavering commitment to STEM education and excellence.
Gunmen have kidnapped 13 persons in Piko, a remote community in the Bwari area council of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
It was gathered that the incident which occurred on Sunday, May 5, 2024, lasted for over an hour, without any challenge from either the vigilante group or other security agencies.
A close source to the community said that the Maidakin of the community, Chief John Jatau has confirmed that 10 residents were kidnapped from his domain, including 4 nomadic Fulani herdsmen.
He noted that out of the four Fulani people, one escaped from the kidnappers’ custody.
He further disclosed that Maidakin said the kidnappers are demanding a ransom of N900 million.
He identified some of the victims as; Nuhu Anyiwoyi, Emmanuel Nuhu, Danjuma Ali, Parisa Numa, Ezekiel Jatau, Shekwosa Ezekiel, Roseline Samuel, Salome Jacob, Abyelo Ezra, and Ezra Male
“The kidnapping incident occurred last night Sunday 05/05/2024, at about 11 pm. The kidnappers raided the village for about one hour without any response, or reaction from the community or outsiders, the major challenge the community faced last night in of communication to others was as a result of no telecommunication network in the village, so they picked people’s house to house, from the community they picked about 13 people, and later release three,” he narrated.
"The Madakin Piko informed me that they (gunmen) have called and they said they need the ramson of N900,000,000 (nine hundred million naira). They picked about four Fulani people and one of them is released.”
The CEO of Binance, a popular cryptocurrency platform, claimed that some unknown persons, claiming to be agents of Nigerian officials demanded huge payments in cryptocurrency to make their problems in the country “go away”.
Richard Teng, the firm’s chief executive officer (CEO) who took over from founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao, made the claim in a blog post released Tuesday, May 7, on Binance's website.
He added that the request was made through a local firm it hired.
Speaking on Binance’s issues with the Nigerian government, Teng detailed how the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange tried to engage with the Nigerian authorities, including a meeting on January 8 in Abuja, where it was confronted with criminal allegations.
Teng said despite multiple requests, Binance had still not received details of the allegations, “and our employees, therefore, inquired if there was an opportunity to submit our responses in writing and in the absence of a public hearing”.
“There were a number of reasons for that, including the sensitivity of the information and getting the opportunity to see the allegations in full and prepare a thorough substantive response,” he said.
“The meeting ended with the Chair confirming they would consider the matter and revert through Binance’s local counsel.
“However, as our employees were leaving the venue, they were approached by unknown persons who suggested to them to make a payment in settlement of the allegations.
“Later that day, our local counsel — representing us at that time — was summoned by the Committee through someone purporting to be their agent, who relayed the Committee’s and instructed our local counsel to advise us.
“Counsel reported back that he had been presented with a demand for a significant payment in cryptocurrency to be paid in secret within 48 hours to make these issues go away and that our decision was expected by the morning.
"Our team grew increasingly concerned about their safety in Nigeria and immediately departed.”
Teng said the payment request was declined “via our counsel, not viewing it to be a legitimate settlement offer”.
The CEO said Binance clarified that it would engage in settlement negotiations on the conditions that the relevant petition or the details of all allegations were seen.
He wrote: "We, of course, declined the payment demand via our counsel, not viewing it to be a legitimate settlement offer, and clarified that we would engage in settlement negotiations on the following conditions:
"Binance needs to see the relevant petition and/or the details of all allegations.
"Any settlement must be official, recorded in writing, and signed by all relevant parties.
"Any settlement must encom all relevant agencies and be in full and final settlement of all allegations, including any potential historic tax liabilities, if applicable, with guarantees.
“While the exact of any settlement may have to remain private, there would have to be some public acknowledgement that a resolution has been reached.”
The Binance boss also requested that the company's “contractors and employees are not to be intimidated, harassed, or detained.”
He said the Binance counsel relayed its conditions which Nigerian authorities initially objected to before they later agreed.
In continuation of its engagement with Nigeria, two Binance officials, Nadeem Anjarwalla, a 37-year-old British-Kenyan and Binance’s regional manager for Africa; and Tigran Gambaryan, a 39-year-old US citizen and Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, arrived Nigeria to discuss further with the Nigerian government but they were arrested on February 28.
Anjarwalla later fled detention and left Nigeria.
On March 25, Nigeria’s government filed a criminal charge against Binance for “tax evasion”.
Teng appealed to the government to “Let Tigran go home to his family, and then Binance will work through the same process that we have done with Nigeria’s law enforcement community voluntarily more than 600 times in the past.”
He added: "We will always work to protect innocent s, and bad actors are not welcome on our platform. We will work tirelessly with public and private partners to remove them. Furthermore, we will continue engagement with Nigeria’s Federal Inland Revenue Service on resolving potential historic tax liabilities.”
Newlymarried: 8:40am On May 16, 2024 
