News
Romance scam: Table turns against kingpin who swindled US woman of $1.5 (N2.4billion)
Samuel Ugberease, otherwise known as “Putsammy”, “Putput” and “Sammy,” is to have his day with United States authorities following his extradition to the country over multiple cases of romance scams against women in the country.
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF), who made the revelation said on Thursday that the kingpin was successfully extradited to the USA to face charges “bordering on alleged online romance scams, wire fraud, and related financial crimes.”
Anthony Placid, the force spokesperson, said in a statement on Thursday that police extradited the suspect through the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) Abuja.
“The suspect, who was based in South Africa prior to his arrest, was extradited on Wednesday, 14th May 2026, following the conclusion of extradition proceedings and coordinated engagements between Nigerian and United States law enforcement authorities,” the statement reads.
Placed said investigations revealed that between 2014 and 2018, the suspect and his accomplices operated a criminal syndicate involved in online romance scams targeting female victims in the US, particularly within the eastern district of North Carolina.
He added that the syndicate reportedly created fake online identities and dating profiles to establish fraudulent emotional relationships with victims before manipulating them into sending large sums of money under false pretences and fabricated emergencies.
“Further investigations established that proceeds of the fraud were laundered through multiple bank accounts used to receive, process, and conceal illicit funds,” the police spokesperson said.
“In one of the reported cases, the suspect was linked to the defrauding of a victim of over One Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars ($1.5 million USD).
“The fugitive was initially arrested by operatives of INTERPOL NCB Abuja at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, on 14th December 2025 upon his arrival from South Africa, following a INTERPOL Red Notice issued by authorities in the United States.
“Subsequently, extradition proceedings were instituted at the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division, where the Court granted the application for his extradition in accordance with the provisions of the Extradition Act, CAP E25, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
Placid reiterated the NPF’s commitment to leveraging INTERPOL tools, international partnerships, and intelligence-led policing to combat cybercrime, financial fraud, and other transnational organised criminal activities.
He also assured both local and international partners of police’s continued cooperation in advancing global security.
Justice Akintoye Aluko of the Federal High Court, Lagos on Tuesday ordered the remand of Paul Jibrin Oweleke in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) over alleged cybercrime offences linked to social media broadcasts that allegedly called for overthrow of President Bola Tinubu.
Specifically, Oweleke, in a two-count charge was accused of publishing posts on his online platform known as “Oweleke TV”, urging the Nigerian military to remove the President from office in a manner similar to takeovers in some West African countries, an act the agency said bordered on incitement and the use of a computer system to disseminate content considered prejudicial to national security and constitutional governance.
Oweleke’s broadcasts, the agency stressed, were capable of inciting public disorder and promoting disaffection against the government, which will undermine the country’s democracy.
Legal argument had ensued immediately after Oweleke, pleaded not guilty to the charges, with his lawyer kicking vehemently against the prayer of the agency that the court should order his remand pending the commencement of trial, on the ground that a bail application had already been filed and served on the prosecution.
But Aluko, who was persuaded to grant the prayer, went with the DSS, while adjourning the matter to June 16 for the hearing of the bail application, stating that Oweleke, would remain in the facility of the agency pending the outcome.
By June 29 all medical doctors in public hospitals in Nigeria will drop their stethoscopes and other instruments of healthcare, unless the Federal Government settles all unpaid allowances, salary arrears, delayed training funds, and worsening welfare concerns of its members across the country’s health sector.
This was the notice served to the government on Monday, through The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), the umbrella under which the doctors operate, after rising from Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) held in Kano.
In the 21-day ultimatum to the government, the doctors warned that it would not be able to guarantee industrial harmony if the issues remain unresolved within the 21-day period.
In the resolution conveying their position, signed by Mohammad Suleiman, President, Shuaibu Ibrahim, Secretary-General, and Abdulmajid Yahya Ibrahim, Publicity and Social Secretary, on Friday, the body regretted that government had failed to fulfil several commitments to doctors despite repeated assurances and engagements.
“The association hereby declares an industrial dispute with the federal government of Nigeria on the outlined matters above and cannot guarantee industrial harmony after the 21-day window period given to address all the demands,” the communique reads.
The association said it is giving the federal government the 21-day window to commence concrete actions towards the development and implementation of a national healthcare workers assault prevention and response protocol
and the initiation of the necessary legislative process to address the menace.
NARD also demanded the release and payment of the 2026 medical residency training fund (MRTF) to all eligible resident doctors nationwide within the next 21 days.
The association questioned the unpaid salary and promotion arrears in several federal and state health institutions, as well as discrepancies in professional allowances reflected in members’ May 2026 salaries.
It highlighted the welfare issues affecting house officers, including salary delays, unpaid arrears, and difficulties with internship placement and onboarding processes that remain unresolved.
It also accused Motunrayo Omidiran, executive chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), of delaying the issuance of letters of compliance to federal health institutions, noting that the delay has hampered recruitment efforts, manpower shortages, and brain drain in the sector.
NARD expressed worries about the increasing assaults, harassment, intimidation, and violent attacks against doctors while on duty, demanding the arrests, investigation, and prosecution of perpetrators.
It called for the establishment of a national healthcare workers’ assault prevention and response protocol within 21 days by the federal government and security agencies.
Abuja has switched into chest-beating mode, two days to June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day, while celebrating the milestones it claims President Bola Tinubu has achieved in the last three years in office.
Top officials of the government, were on hand on Monday to marshal out the wins of the President during an engagement with media men across the country, with Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, declaring that Nigeria had since left its hitherto fragile status and moving steadily toward long-term prosperity.
His take is that despite pains associated with ongoing reforms embarked by the President, he said available evidence point to a nation on the path of recovery, growth and institutional strengthening, adding that the celebration of Nigeria’s 27th anniversary of uninterrupted democratic governance and the third year of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration, remained significant.
Idris, who described Democracy Day as a historic moment for national reflection, accountability and celebration of the sacrifices that secured democratic governance in Nigeria, also recognised Tinubu’s efforts in restoring democracy to Nigeria, while paying tribute to late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (M.K.O.) Abiola, the symbol of Nigeria’s democratic struggle.
His words: “The 2026 Democracy Day celebration carries special significance because it coincides with the third anniversary of the Tinubu administration, providing an opportunity to assess the impact of government policies and reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Twenty-seven years of uninterrupted democratic governance is a milestone worthy of celebration. It reflects the determination of Nigerians to uphold democratic values, strengthen institutions and build a more prosperous nation.”
George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), who represented President Tinubu, told his audience: “Government will never claim that every challenge has been solved. Inflation has been painful, insecurity still threatens lives and livelihoods, and the effects of reform do not land evenly or immediately.
“However, evidence shows that Nigeria is moving in the right direction,from fragility toward firmer footing, from stop-gap actions toward systemic reform, and from scattered interventions toward a more connected programme of delivery.
“President Tinubu remains fully aware of difficulties confronting citizens and is committed to ensuring that the benefits of reforms became more visible. Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP, remains on a positive trajectory over the last two quarters. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, said the economy recorded a growth rate of 4.07 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2025 and 3.89 per cent in the first quarter of 2026.
“The figures demonstrate growing investor confidence, increased market activity and improving productive exchange across sectors. President Tinubu signed four major tax reform laws in June 2025 to simplify compliance, enhance transparency and boost domestic revenue generation. “Since the Student Loan Act was signed into law in April 2024, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, has supported over 1.058 million students nationwide.
“More than N184 billion had been disbursed for tuition and upkeep allowances, describing the initiative as one of the most impactful interventions in the education sector. The public impact analysis shows that over 1.058 million students have already benefited from the scheme.”
Showcasing the figures on the reach of its social protection programmes, the SGF stated that the Renewed Hope Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, designed to support 15 million households, had reached over three million vulnerable households by August 2025.
He stressed that nearly one million Nigerians across the country’s 774 local government areas had benefited from interventions under the Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme and CreditCorp, which he said, had also expanded access to formal credit, with over 200,000 Nigerians benefiting and N37 billion disbursed in 2025 alone.
On healthcare, the SGF said the administration has intensified efforts to improve access to quality medical services through implementation of the National Health Insurance Authority, NHIA Act, and the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
He disclosed that resources had been provided to support more than 8,000 primary healthcare centres, with plans underway to expand coverage to 13,000 facilities nationwide.
The President, he added, had directed mandatory health insurance implementation across ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs, to deepen health coverage.
Akume also highlighted anti-corruption gains recorded by the administration, noting that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, have continued to recover stolen assets and prosecute offenders.
He revealed that the EFCC contributed over N50 billion in recovered funds to support the student loan programme.
In what he described as a major international endorsement of Nigeria’s reform efforts, the SGF announced that the country was officially removed from the Financial Action Task Force, FATF, grey list in October 2025, following improvements in anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing frameworks.
“Accountability in this administration is sacrosanct,” he declared.
On security, Akume said the government remains committed to defeating terrorism, banditry and other criminal threats.
He noted that while insecurity had not been completely eradicated, significant progress is being made through increased investment in security agencies, enhanced regional cooperation and improved operational capacity of the Armed Forces.
“The good news is that we are succeeding,” he stated.
Akume commended members of the military and security agencies for their sacrifices and urged Nigerians to play more active roles by reporting suspicious activities to authorities.
According to him, “security must become our collective national project.”
The SGF stressed further the importance of national cohesion, religious tolerance and shared values in sustaining democracy.
He disclosed that the Federal Executive Council, FEC, had approved the National Values Charter to promote discipline, citizenship, reciprocity, service and tolerance across society.
He also reaffirmed government support for the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, NIREC, as a platform for strengthening Christian-Muslim relations and national stability.
Looking ahead, Akume signalled the administration’s intention to seek a renewal of its mandate in the 2027 general elections, insisting that government remains focused on completing reforms initiated since 2023.
“Our responsibility is to finish what we commenced in 2023. As we approach the 2027 election cycle, we shall scale what is working. Our task is not completed yet, and under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, more dividends of democracy will be delivered,” he said.
He described June 12 as more than a symbolic date, saying it represents both the memory of democratic sacrifice and the obligation of elected leaders to remain accountable to the people.
“This government is prepared to be judged by evidence,” Akume said, as ministers lined up to present sector-by-sector reports on the administration’s performance.
-
News4 weeks agoTinubu to African leaders: Copy Nigeria, produce your way out of poverty
-
News3 weeks agoBREAKING: US-Nigeria troops slaughter 175 ISWAP fighters
-
Columns3 weeks agoDear General Gowon: That apology you’re running from is your nemesis
-
News1 week agoBREAKING: Terrorists strike Ibadan again! Abduct ex-Minister’s sister, twin children
-
News4 weeks agoWhy we pegged presidential ticket forms at N60million – NDC
-
News4 weeks agoGowon on civil war: My book is to put records straight, remove falsehood
-
News3 weeks agoBREAKING: Wait over! Arsenal are CHAMPIONS! Win EPL after 22 years hiatus
-
Columns2 weeks agoSee Tinubu’s terrible damage on Option A4 and its precious memories