EFCC arraigns 19-year-old woman, boyfriend over alleged N35.9m theft

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a 19-year-old woman and her 21-year-old boyfriend over the alleged theft of N35.92 million from a woman in Benin City, Edo State.

The defendants, Marian Elia and Izuchukwu Uzoma, were arraigned before the Federal High Court in Benin on seven counts of conspiracy, cybercrime, and stealing, the EFCC said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

The commission alleged that Ms Elia, who grew up in the victim, Esther Ogbeifun’s, home, exploited her access to the woman’s phones and banking information to transfer the money into Mr Uzoma’s bank account.

According to the EFCC, the defendants allegedly converted the money to their personal use.

The commission said the alleged transfers occurred between 8 March and 29 July 2026.

One charge accuses Ms Elia of using Ms Ogbeifun’s Moniepoint personal banking application to transfer a total of N35.92 million into an account domiciled with United Bank for Africa and operated by Mr Uzoma.

The charge stated that the alleged transaction caused financial loss to Ms Ogbeifun and violated Section 33(2)(c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, as amended in 2024.

The defendants pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.

After their pleas, prosecution counsel, I.M. Elodi, asked the court to set a trial date and remand the defendants in custody.

Justice C. A. Obiozor ordered the defendants to be remanded to the Benin Correctional Centre and adjourned the case to 7 December for hearing.

A related PREMIUM TIMES report published in March 2026 detailed an EFCC prosecution involving alleged unauthorised withdrawals from bank accounts through mobile banking applications.