EFCC Arraigns Lovers Over Alleged N35.92m Theft From Woman Who Raised One of Them

Mrs Esther Ogbeifun opened her home to a girl who grew up under her roof. Now the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says that same young woman used her access to the family to take N35.92m from her.

Justice C.A. Obiozor ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Benin Correctional Centre, Benin City, and adjourned the matter until December 7 for hearing.

The defendants, Marian Elia, 19, and her boyfriend Izuchukwu Uzoma, 21, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them. Following their pleas, prosecution counsel I.M. Elodi asked the court to fix a trial date and remand the defendants to a correctional centre.

The commission disclosed the arraignment in a Wednesday statement posted on its official X account. It said its Benin Zonal Directorate arraigned the two before the Federal High Court in Benin, Edo State, on a seven-count charge “bordering on cybercrime, conspiracy and stealing”.

According to the EFCC, Elia grew up in the victim’s house and had access to her phones and banking information. The commission alleged that she used that access to transfer the money into an account belonging to Uzoma.

‘Investigation by the Commission revealed that Elia, who grew up in the house of the victim, had access to her phones and bank information and allegedly executed a transfer of the said sum from the victim’s account into that of Uzoma, her boyfriend,’ the statement read.

The commission further alleged that the defendants converted the money to their personal use.

One of the charges accuses Elia of using the victim’s banking application to move the money to an account operated by Uzoma.

The statement read in part: ‘That you Marian Elia between the 8th day of March 2026 and 29th day of July 2026 in Benin, Edo State with the jurisdiction of this honourable court did use the access device issued to one Mrs Esther Ogbeifun to wit, a Moniepoint Personal Banking App with account number 6513141114 to transfer the aggregate sum of N35,920,000.00 (Thirty Five million, Nine hundred and Twenty Thousand) to account number 2318786590 domiciled in United Bank for Africa, operated by one Izuchukwu Uzoma, resulting in a loss to the said Mrs Esther Ogbeifun, thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 33(2) © of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act 2015 (as amended 2024).’