Mr Rufai was granted bail with a $300,000 bond that will be provided by Nekpen Soyemi, a nurse identified to be his friend. But while the bail papers were being prepared to speed up Mr Rufai’s release, the FBI conducted a background check on Ms Soyemi and discovered that she was once suspected of a business email compromise scam by the Bank of America.
The FBI also said Ms Soyemi was once involved in a $134,000 fraud linked to a non-profit. It was not immediately clear whether Ms Soyemi was charged.
Detectives also said Ms Soyemi’s ownership of a property in the U.S. could not be verified, and two bank accounts traced to her only had $335 and $1,838, respectively, as their balances. The combined balance was far from the $300,000 bond imposed on the suspect.
Consequently, prosecutors advised the judge to rescind Mr Rufai’s bail and instead remand him in custody indefinitely, fearing that he was a flight risk. The judge will hear the bail arguments again on May 25, a court official told The Gazette.
“The defendant presents an extreme risk of non-appearance that cannot be addressed,” prosecutors said. “We respectfully request that the Court order him detained pending his transfer to this district, at which point his status may be reconsidered.”
A lawyer for the suspect did not immediately return a request seeking comments from The Gazette on Saturday evening.
Mr Rufai, Governor Dapo Abiodun’s long-time aide and business associate, was arrested last week in New York as he prepared to depart for Nigeria, U.S. authorities said.
His brother was initially listed as a potential surety following his appearance in court. But Alaba Rufai said he could not raise the required $300,000 bond, alongside other criteria.
As part of terms for Mr Rufai’s release, he agreed to electronic home monitoring and travel restrictions. But the conditions might be reexamined during next Tuesday’s hearing.
The FBI also said Ms Soyemi was once involved in a $134,000 fraud linked to a non-profit. It was not immediately clear whether Ms Soyemi was charged.
Detectives also said Ms Soyemi’s ownership of a property in the U.S. could not be verified, and two bank accounts traced to her only had $335 and $1,838, respectively, as their balances. The combined balance was far from the $300,000 bond imposed on the suspect.
Consequently, prosecutors advised the judge to rescind Mr Rufai’s bail and instead remand him in custody indefinitely, fearing that he was a flight risk. The judge will hear the bail arguments again on May 25, a court official told The Gazette.
“The defendant presents an extreme risk of non-appearance that cannot be addressed,” prosecutors said. “We respectfully request that the Court order him detained pending his transfer to this district, at which point his status may be reconsidered.”
A lawyer for the suspect did not immediately return a request seeking comments from The Gazette on Saturday evening.
Mr Rufai, Governor Dapo Abiodun’s long-time aide and business associate, was arrested last week in New York as he prepared to depart for Nigeria, U.S. authorities said.
His brother was initially listed as a potential surety following his appearance in court. But Alaba Rufai said he could not raise the required $300,000 bond, alongside other criteria.
As part of terms for Mr Rufai’s release, he agreed to electronic home monitoring and travel restrictions. But the conditions might be reexamined during next Tuesday’s hearing.
from barristerng.com
I suspected this Ms Soyemi from the day I read she wanted to stand surety for him.
ReplyDeleteThis kind of case people dey run you dey chook head. So you must be partner in such crime
Yes now!! As she rush wan go sign surety..She must be a partner in crime
DeleteShe go be one of him babes for there. See as she don use her hand expose herself with her own criminal past.
DeleteVery good when they were busy spraying money in that party people were celebrating them were una dey see this money.welcome to America were the laws works.
Delete"Gov. Abiodun's aide and long time business associates...:
ReplyDeleteHmm, it means my baskets of shame need to multiply quickly 🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺
plus the (side) nurse wey dey surety fraud...🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺
That simply means her nurses license in the US is gone. They will deport her after prosecution.
DeleteYahoo boy presents yahoo girl as surety..
ReplyDeleteThese useless beings disgracing the country outside, may you all be caught one after the other.
Amen ohhh. Madam Queen and boss come stand as surety for your people oh.
DeleteLoool@Danity boo
DeleteThis up there is a country.
ReplyDeleteThank God it’s not EFCC that caught him. He for don bribe his way out🤤🥴
ReplyDeleteNigerians always think everywhere be Nigeria wey no dey work. You no get money, you dey stand surety🙄
ReplyDeleteLmaoooo, yahoo girl too Don enter gbegbe in the name of standing as surety 🤣🤣🤣🤣
ReplyDeleteoooo
ReplyDeleteDis Rufai guy is just a born criminal.... awon credit card scammers .... obviously he’s been in this fraud business for long ! .... O gaa o 🤔
ReplyDeleteI tell you. Awon oloshi, greedy mofo
DeleteAnd he was there forming commissioner
DeleteMany like him dae seat,those who know,Know!mk I just end the talk for here.
DeleteGod don catch dem
ReplyDeleteSpending don jam Jacuzzi😁.
ReplyDeleteAs this matter dey go so, even the Gov. Abiodun name sef go soon enter the matter. No be this him friend join sponsor him gubernatorial ambition? How he go say he no know say na "working boy" *in Lasisi Elenu's voice*. God go dey expose them one by one. Ff...
Dapo ABIODUN was rich and wealthy before coming out to contest. You may not know this before now
DeleteMy tbought exactly.
DeleteMr El Haj aka my job is defend government, you have no comment about his lack of due diligence in appointing a G-boy, abi?
Delete@El Haj, na so una dey talk "Dapo Abiodun was rich and wealthy before.." how did he make his money?
DeleteBreeze don blow, see fowl yansh outside
ReplyDeleteLol glad they are catching these criminals. But women sha, we never learn. Men in their selfish nature would never. I doubt if any man would agree to be surety in this kind of case for a woman that is not his wife. Hmmm you want to joke with FBI. Unless he had something on her and was gonna sing...
ReplyDeleteAnother trouble
ReplyDeleteThe person who stood as surety for Abidemi Rufai is a lady called Nekpen Soyemi (nee Egharevba). A Nigerian nurse living in NY.
ReplyDeleteShe is also the wife of Olalekn Soyemi a fraudster who was indicted in 2013 in a multimillion-dollar identity theft scam.
Olalekan Idris Soyemi was also indicted in 2019 in a nationwide FBI sting and is currently serving his jail term in the District of Columbia penitentiary.
Nekpen Soyemi (nee Egharevba) earned:
$536.07 in 2020
$9,695.94 in 2019
$45,658.11 in 2018
And stood for a $300k surety.
this act and her connection to Olalekan Idris Soyemi surely raised eyebrows and subsequent investigation. And it has been discovered that she was also involved in a $134k scam.
I'm coming to stand as a surety for you but you will wait till they give me visa..
ReplyDeleteI watched the video with disgust. Naija people, FBI has an anonymous tip line. Expose the thieves in your family, village, local govehement, state & federal including contractors who are swimming in taxpayers money and can afford to walk and trample on dollar notes. Nobody who works hard here will debase their hard work that way. That nurse was not even working. Look at her income. Why work when free cash is in the house!
ReplyDeleteAnytime you see people throwing money around like that, they are laundering money for someone in Naija. The brother is an attorney and I read he refused to stand surety for him. Such folks never bless anybody with their stolen loot and yes the governor knows him. Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are! FBI is most likely looking into the governor and all his associates here. Believe it or not perm secs, civil servants etc come here with unbelievable amount of dollars stolen from Nigeria! Again FBI has an anonymous tip line you can call and they will keep your anonymity. If they need to put you in witness protection they will create a new identity for you and your immediate family. Nigerians need to display righteous indignation against the looters and collaborators before the US government can help.
Gbamsolutely!!! How I wish this your comment will go viral on twitter let people hear. I'm sure if Nigerians know they will use that tip line. Enough of corrupt greedy leaders.
Delete👌👌
DeleteSee as she carry her body enter trouble.
ReplyDeleteHow much was she promised?
If my relative steals and brings it here, I will report the person. For what they turned Nigerian youths into, they need jail time. Before I left decades ago, beggars were from the north because of their almajiris, no education poverty system. Now you see beggars from all ethnicities. If I catch anyone with Naija money with evidence, I don’t care whether you fly at night or are United Airline pilot, I will report. I’m not jealous as I work for money, live in a nice home and drive cars your stars sing about. I work my butt off though so bring stolen money here, make sure some of us here don’t know you because we here may be more angry at how images coming out of Naija is making us a laughing stock than you. Imagine kidnapping hundreds of children like they are oranges and the governors and all officials have not resigned! Fix Nigeria or don’t bring your loot here. They are in Houston and Atlanta area. This one came to Seattle, the headquarters of information technology, home of Microsoft & Ama on plus many smaller IT companies where folks work 12 to 18 hours on some projects! Start calling Anonymous FBI tip line if you know they are bringing their money here. Otherwise the country will remain at the bottom. Highest unemployment rate,10.5million kids not attending school, etc If its your uncle and you have evidence report to FBI anonymous tip line. Google it. Bunch of Thieves.
ReplyDeleteOne beer on your head jor. As someone said Nigeria is a vast crime scene. Very vast crime scene.
DeleteCo-sign.
Delete