Why This Mother and Her Son Are in EFCC Custody Will Shock You

A mother and her 34-year-old son have been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, over a staggering N64.4 million fraud allegedly committed against a U.S.-based Nigerian.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), through its Port Harcourt Zonal Directorate, brought Ifeoma Joe and her son, Chima Mike Nmerem, before Justice P. I. Ajoku on Thursday, May 22, 2025, on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, advance fee fraud, misrepresentation, and obtaining money under false pretences.

According to the EFCC, the duo deceived Mrs. Felicia Ekwutasi Ikeh, a Nigerian woman living in the United States, into parting with N64,486,180 between September 10 and December 17, 2024.

The money, investigators said, was collected under the pretext of performing spiritual cleansing and settling detectives in a purported murder case allegedly involving the petitioner’s son in the U.S.

The funds were paid into an Access Bank account operated by Chima Nmerem, which the EFCC says was falsely presented as belonging to a fictitious “Dr. Uma Ukpai.”

EFCC’s counsel, K. U. Udus, revealed that the entire scheme was fabricated to exploit the petitioner’s fear and desperation to protect her son. “The claim was knowingly false,” the charge read, adding that the alleged act contravenes sections of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act of 2006.

Both defendants pleaded guilty to the charges when arraigned.

While the EFCC was prepared to present a witness for a speedy review of the case, Justice Ajoku adjourned proceedings until May 28, 2025, due to time constraints. The judge also remanded the mother and son in EFCC custody pending further hearings.

The case emerged after the U.S.-based petitioner reportedly sent the money after being introduced to Ifeoma Joe by her own sister, who claimed that the spiritual prayers could help prevent her son from facing jail time for allegedly murdering his sibling.

The incident has stirred conversation online, with many expressing shock at the level of deceit and the growing trend of exploiting spiritual fears for financial gain.

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