A Nigerian socialite, Nzube Henry Ikeji, has been accused of posing as the Crown Prince of Dubai in an elaborate romance and investment fraud that allegedly defrauded a Romanian businesswoman of over $2.5 million.
The allegation is detailed in an investigation published by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). According to the report, the scheme began about three years ago when the victim, identified as Laura, was contacted on LinkedIn by a man claiming to be the Dubai Crown Prince. He reportedly expressed interest in funding a humanitarian project in Romania through her.
The correspondence later moved to other social media platforms and evolved into what the investigation described as a romantic relationship. The impostor subsequently introduced Laura to a man presented as his financial manager, whom she met in London to facilitate the opening of a bank account with a British financial institution.
Laura was later given access to an account that appeared to show a deposit of more than £200,000. However, the account was allegedly cloned, and the funds did not exist. When she attempted to withdraw part of the money, she was asked to pay substantial “processing fees”. Over time, she reportedly transferred more than $2.5 million before realising she had been defrauded.
OCCRP reported that internal disputes among the alleged accomplices led two of them to contact Laura and reveal details of the scheme, including the true identity of the man posing as the Dubai Crown Prince. He was identified as Nzube Henry Ikeji.
The investigation traced Ikeji to Abuja, Nigeria, where journalists relied on social media posts from him and his wife that showed a lavish lifestyle, including luxury shopping trips abroad and videos of him spraying money at public events. A mansion in Abuja, previously showcased online, was eventually located by investigators.
When confronted by a journalist at the residence, Ikeji reportedly denied knowing the Romanian woman and declined to address questions about the allegations, directing further inquiries to his lawyer.
The investigation also linked the alleged fraud to a UK-based associate, Martins Abhulimhen, identified as the purported financial manager. UK police reportedly informed the victim that Abhulimhen was under investigation over suspicious funds, which were traced to her transfers and allegedly moved onward to Nigeria.
