First EFCC Witness Testifies in Trial of Edidiong James’ Alleged $41,000 Romance Scam in Uyo

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,  Uyo Zonal Directorate,  has called its first witness, Deputy Superintendent of EFCC,   DSE Unyime P. Moses  in the trial of an alleged romance scammer, Edidiong Nsidore James.

Moses told Justice Maurine Oyetenu of the Federal High Court  sitting in Uyo,  Akwa Ibom State,  that the evidence of James’ alleged involvement in the $41,000 love scam was discovered in his mobile phone.  Explaining further,  the witness  stated that the communication between  the defendant and his victim,  Elizabeth,  whom he often called ‘My Everything’, had details of the alleged monetary exchange between them.

According to Moses,  the chat evidence printed from the defendant’s phone revealed that when the victim demanded that her money be refunded to her, the defendant failed to comply. Instead, he demanded for more money under various guises, insisting that the additional money must be sent to him, to enable him release her $41,000 to her. “Send me $900 if you want your money back, because if you don’t send me the $900, I won’t give you your money back”,  James said in their chat.

Moses also told the court that, when the victim threatened to report him to the EFCC,  the defendant boasted to her that the EFCC cannot arrest him: “Did you really think the EFCC could arrest me?  I remember I once told you that all this won’t help us, that you sent me $900, but you refused. So,  tell me, how long will it take you to stop thinking you can arrest me.”

While giving her evidence-in-chief, the PW1 told the court that the defendant used pseudo names to defraud his victims, and also identified himself as ‘Jessy James’ when he was arrested.  She said a BVN check was immediately conducted and it was confirmed that Jessy was a fake name.

The witness also told the court that all pleas from the victim to the defendant to refund her money fell on deaf ears as James kept demanding for more money.  Elisabeth once pleaded in one of her chats with  James: “at the end of August, the bailiff will take my apartment and because of you, I will be on the street with my child. I will never forgive you for this. If you do this to me, to whom you said you love, then what will you do to the one you don’t love? I don’t need your pity and I don’t need any feelings at all from you. I need my $41,000”

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The PW1 also narrated how she went ahead to put a call across to the victim who responded, but got angry the instant she mentioned the name of the defendant.  Moses said the victim rained curses on her and called the entire country ‘corrupt’. “Don’t ever call me again, your entire country is as corrupt as Jessy and I do not wish to speak with any of you again, except through my country’s Embassy”

After  the cross-examination, the court adjourned to September 22 and 23, 2026, for further hearing.

James  was arrested at his residence located at Ring Road 3, off Camp Gee, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, in an intelligence- driven sting operation on October 8, 2025. Items recovered from the defendant include an iPhone 15 Pro Max, a Redmi 13 mobile phone, and a Lexus ES350, which were all tendered as exhibits by the prosecution counsel,  Joshua Abolarin and were all admitted in evidence.

During a forensic examination of the said gadgets, incriminating communications between the defendant and his victim were discovered in the devices revealing how he had allegedly been defrauding Elizabeth for over three years through a romance scam and extorting money from her. Further probe revealed that he had received a total sum of $41,000 from his victim and was still demanding more.

While interrogated,  James stated that he owned a BetNaija shop which he said he established in 2021. He further claimed that he engaged in boosting social media accounts, by increasing followers. According to him, he charged between ₦30,000 and ₦40,000 per account and has boosted about 20 accounts for his online clients. However,  no evidence was found to substantiate his claim of operating a social media account boosting business, and no proof that any client had sent login details to him for account boosting services.

Further investigation revealed that the suspect was actively involved in internet fraud, specializing in romance scams and identity theft. Findings showed that he used fictitious Facebook and WhatsApp accounts to communicate with his  victims,  including Elizabeth.  Investigations also established that his victims were foreign nationals and not Nigerians as he had earlier claimed.

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Although the suspect claimed that he only benefited $4,000 from Elizabeth,  a Hungarian, conversations retrieved from his devices revealed that he received way more than the amount he claimed.

James was first arraigned on January 30, 2026, and pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the three-count charges preferred against him by the Commission.

One of the charges reads:

“That you, Edidiong Isidore James ( a.k.a Jessy Isidore James), on or sometime in February 2025 in Akwa Ibom State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the total sum of Forty-One Thousand United States Dollars ($41,000 USD), property of Elizabeth (‘My Everything’) and other unsuspecting victims, under the pretence of trading in Bitcoin/Forex Trading, which pretence you knew to be false, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(c) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”

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