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US Govt Seeks Revocation Of Naturalized Status Following $11M Fraud Conviction

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The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit to revoke the citizenship of Emmanuel Oluwatosin Kazeem, a Nigerian national previously convicted for his role in an $11 million (and in some reports linked to up to $91 million) wire fraud and identity theft scheme.

The United States Department of Justice says it has filed a lawsuit seeking to revoke the citizenship of a Nigerian, Emmanuel Oluwatosin Kazeem, who was jailed in 2018 over an $11m fraud.

PUNCH Metro learnt from a statement obtained on the DoJ website on Thursday that Kazeem was convicted on 19 counts bordering on wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud.

According to the statement, in May 2013, a victim in Medford, Oregon, notified the Internal Revenue Service that false federal and Oregon state tax returns had been filed electronically using her and her husband’s personal identifying information, including Social Security numbers and dates of birth.

The statement noted that an IRS investigation led to the execution of search warrants at residences in Illinois, Maryland, and Georgia, as well as multiple email and instant messaging accounts used by Kazeem and other co-conspirators.

It continued, “At a Chicago residence, agents seized approximately 150 prepaid debit cards and $50,000 in money orders. In Maryland and Georgia, agents seized more than 50 electronic devices, 40 money orders exceeding $29,000, $14,000 in cash, and numerous prepaid debit cards containing over $12,000 in fraudulent tax refunds.

The search warrants helped agents identify Kazeem as the leader and mastermind of the scheme.

“The scheme resulted in the conspirators possessing stolen personal identifying information of more than 259,000 victims. Kazeem purchased more than 91,000 identities from a Vietnamese hacker who originated from an Oregon company’s private database.

“The company provided pre-employment and volunteer background checks for thousands of clients. Kazeem divided the identities into batches and shared them with other co-conspirators, which were then used them to file fraudulent tax returns between 2012 and 2015.”

The statement added that investigations revealed that Kazeem trained and directed other co-conspirators, including his younger brother, Michael Oluwasegun Kazeem, to use stolen identities to obtain thousands of electronic filing PINs to bypass IRS authentication procedures.

It added that Kazeem and his accomplices acquired over 19,500 E-File PINs during the conspiracy and used taxpayers’ identities to gain unauthorised access to IRS transcripts, while stolen prepaid debit cards were used to receive tax refunds.

It further stated, “In total, Kazeem was linked to 10,139 fraudulent federal tax returns attempting to obtain over $91m in refunds and successfully receiving over $11.6m.

“Refunds were withdrawn from the debit cards, and at least 2,000 wire transfers totalling over $2.1m were sent to Nigeria. Over 700 of those transfers, amounting to more than $690,000, were directly linked to Kazeem.

“Kazeem used the proceeds to make a nearly $200,000 down payment on a newly constructed house and to purchase a $175,000 townhouse, both in Maryland. His average monthly credit card payment between 2012 and 2015 exceeded $8,300. He also attempted to use the funds to develop a $6m four-star hotel in Lagos.”

The statement added that in May 2015, Kazeem transferred the townhouse to his sister in Nigeria for $10 and also added her to the deed of his Maryland residence for the same amount before his arrest the following day.

The DoJ said Kazeem was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment in 2018 and ordered to pay more than $12m in restitution, but his sentence was later commuted and he was released from prison by former US President, Joe Biden.

In the fresh suit, the department alleged that Kazeem’s actions disqualified him from lawful naturalisation.

“The complaint alleges that Kazeem’s fraud scheme, committed before and after his naturalisation, along with the concealment of his crimes, precluded him from obtaining citizenship lawfully.

“It also alleges that Kazeem engaged in a sham marriage to obtain permanent resident status and later married a second woman, further disqualifying him from naturalisation,” the statement added.

The move comes amid renewed immigration enforcement under the administration of Donald Trump, which has reiterated its stance against criminal migrants through crackdowns and deportations.

 

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How 2018 Federal Legal Advice Exonerated Saraki In Offa Robbery Case

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In light of the Kwara State Government’s fresh prosecution of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and his successor over the Offa robbery, fresh facts have emerged on why the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mr. E. U. (Etsu Umar) Mohammed gave the duo a clean bill of health.

The Federal Director of Public Prosecutions cleared former Senate President Bukola Saraki of involvement in the Offa bank robbery in 2018, citing no evidence of a connection.

It was gathered that the DPP reviewed a 16-page police report prepared and signed by Abba Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police and then head of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IGP-IRT) at Force Headquarters, Abuja. The report detailed investigations into the April 5, 2018, multiple bank robbery attack in Offa, Kwara State.

The DPP in his first report dated June 22, 2018 and signed on behalf of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, prepared a five page legal advice in which he noted in paragraph 5 (f) that “for the Senate President (Saraki) and the Kwara State Governor (Ahmed), his office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged offence and the suspects. Hence, it is our advice that further and thorough investigation in this regard be carried out”.

Following the submission of a second report by the police investigating team to his office on July 27, 2018, the DPP prepared a second legal advice, which was dated August 23, 2018. The three-page legal advice also has only three paragraphs.

In paragraph 3 (vi), he noted that “with regards to the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, since there is no departure from the earlier findings in the interim report, this office is still unable to establish any prima facie case against him for any offences of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and culpable homicide punishable with death”.

Both legal advices had recommended six people for prosecution. They are: Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Ibrahim, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran, and Michael Adiukwu.

One of the suspects, Michael Adiukwu, later died in police custody, while the other five had since been tried at the High Court in Ilorin.

During the trial, the suspects revealed how they were coerced into incriminating Senator Bukola Saraki.

They mentioned several inducements dangled before them, including money and the promise of a visa to travel out of the country.

The suspects have since been convicted and their convictions confirmed by the Court of Appeal. The matter is now pending before the apex court, the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

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₦400m Ransom Demanded As Gunmen Abduct Another Kwara Ruler

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Terrorists have abducted a traditional ruler in Olayinka community, located in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, Oba Salman Olátúnjí Aweda and are demanding a ₦400 million ransom for his release.

The abduction occurred on April 18, 2026, when armed men, suspected to be militia herdsmen, invaded the community and took the monarch, his wife, and another resident into the forest.

According to JomogNews, residents who witnessed the incident said the terrorists, numbering over 10, invaded the monarch’s residence around Saturday midnight, forced the door open, and abducted him alongside another person in the house.

The assailants reportedly led both victims into the bush.

Chairman of Ifelodun Local Government Area, Mr Abdulrasheed Femi Yusuf, visited the community on Saturday on a sympathy visit and assured residents that efforts were underway to secure the monarch’s release.

“We are deeply concerned about this incident, and we are taking swift and decisive action in collaboration with security agencies,” he said.

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Living Faith Church Founder Declares Week Of Vengeance Against Insecurity Sponsors

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Bishop David Oyedepo, General Overseer of Living Faith Church Worldwide, has declared that bandits and their sponsors will face divine judgment and retribution within seven days.

Speaking on Sunday, April 19, 2026, during a service themed “Covenant Day of Vengeance” at the church’s headquarters in Ota, Ogun State, the cleric stated that those responsible for killings and kidnappings would face imminent consequences.

“I declare judgement on those who caused these tragedies and their supporters in the name of Jesus,” he said.

The cleric further asserted that divine retribution would occur within a short timeframe.

“Unless I am not sent, this will happen in the next seven days,” he added.

Oyedepo also expressed confidence that Nigerians would soon witness outcomes of what he described as divine intervention, noting that the coming days would bring “testimonies of vengeance.”

 

 

 

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