The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a Port Harcourt-based medical doctor, Dr. Nekabari Dambere Nathan, over an alleged visa scam involving ₦39,157,000.
The arraignment took place on Thursday, June 13, 2025, before Justice P. I. Ajoku of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Dr. Nathan was arraigned alongside his company, Global Horizons Academy Ltd, on a one-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence and advance fee fraud.
Allegations by the EFCC
According to the EFCC, Dr. Nathan was arrested following a petition in February 2023. The petitioner alleged that the defendant falsely presented himself as a certified caregiver trainer and travel agent, claiming he could facilitate visa applications and job placements in Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
Dr. Nathan reportedly approached Riskout Consults, a training and consultancy firm, and convinced its students to pay him to help secure international travel documents and register them for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam.
A total of ₦39.1 million was allegedly paid to the defendant for these services. However, the EFCC claims the visas and job placements were never delivered, and the victims were unable to recover their money, as the defendant allegedly became unreachable.
The Charge
The charge reads:
“That you, Dr. Nekabari Dambere Nathan and Global Horizons Academy Ltd., between 8th April to 12th December 2023, at Port Harcourt, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of ₦39,157,000.00 from Justice Toojah Iyieagbu, Managing Director of Riskout Consults, under the false pretense of processing visas for Canada, Ireland, and the United States of America, a representation you knew to be false; thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act.”
Court Proceedings
Dr. Nathan pleaded not guilty to the charge. Prosecution counsel, A. Abubakar, requested a trial date and that the defendant be remanded in custody.
Defense counsel, Friday Otanjah, applied for bail on medical grounds, arguing that the defendant needed access to treatment to be able to face trial.
Justice Ajoku adjourned the matter to June 25, 2025, for hearing of the bail application and ordered that the defendant be remanded in EFCC custody. The trial is scheduled to commence on November 27, 2025.
The EFCC has reiterated its commitment to ensuring justice is served in cases of fraud and economic crimes.
