The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday declared Instagram celebrity, Ismaila Mustapha, better known as Mompha, wanted.
The anti-graft agency, in a tweet, urged members of the public with information on his whereabouts to speak up.
Among other offences, the EFCC said Mompha is wanted for laundering funds obtained through unlawful activities, false asset declaration and retention of alleged proceeds of crime.
WANTED BY THE EFCC: ISMAILA MUSTAPHA
Anyone with useful information as to his whereabout should contact the EFCC or the nearest police station.#SayNoToCorruption#TowardsABetterNigeria pic.twitter.com/uWiyNXfTZK
— EFCC Nigeria (@officialEFCC) August 3, 2022
“Ismaila, 38, hails from Ogbomosho Local Govt Area of Oyo State. His last known address: 2 Fagbenro Street, Idi-Araba, Surulere, Lagos State.
“Wanted by the EFCC: Ismaila Mustapha. Anyone with useful information about his whereabouts should contact the EFCC or the nearest police station,” EFCC’s tweet read.
Mompha has had several run-ins with the EFCC in the last two years.
He was re-arrested in January after he announced his trip to Nigeria with an Instagram photo captioned, ‘‘About to make some billions in Lagos’’.
The socialite has since deleted all his Instagram posts and has stopped updating his over 1.4 million Instagram followers of his daily activities and showing off his luxury lifestyle.
Mompha is alleged to have used his registered companies to receive illicit funds on behalf of “yahoo yahoo” boys from across the world in return for a commission.
The account of one of his companies, Ismalob Global Investment Limited Bank, a Bureau de Change company domiciled in Zenith Bank Plc, was allegedly used to launder funds derived from unlawful activities.
Mompha and his company Ismalob Global Investment Ltd were prosecuted by the commission over alleged N6 billion fraud on January 12.
A fresh eight-count charge was brought against him early in the year.
He was remanded in the custody of the EFCC but later granted a bail of N200 million, which he couldn’t fulfil.
The bail sum was later slashed to N25m.
The EFCC had, on 10 June, accused Mompha of disregarding a court order by travelling to Dubai with a new passport.
On 22 June, a Lagos court revoked the bail granted to him after the controversial socialite’s absence for trial.
Run-in
Mompha has had several run-ins with the EFCC in the last two years.
The Nigerian anti-graft agency dissociated itself from claims by Mompha after he claimed they advised him to maintain a low profile in the wake of the indictment of his friend, Abbas Ramon alias Hushpuppi, in a $1.1m international fraud conspiracy by US Law enforcement.
Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC spokesperson, debunked Mompha’s claims in a statement.
The incident happened in August 2021.
PREMIUM TIMES reported Mompha saying that the anti-graft agency contacted him after Hushpuppi was apprehended abroad.
He claimed that the EFCC asked him to delete his social media pages and maintain a low profile after the incident. Mompha made the remarks during an Instagram live show with a controversial broadcaster, Daddy Freeze.
Mr Uwujaren said: ‘‘The (Mompha’s) claim, which did not mention the office of the Commission who supposedly gave the advice, is spurious and should be discountenanced.
‘‘The Commission is not in the business of advising suspected internet fraudsters, and it is far-fetched that it would counsel one against whom it has a pending criminal charge in court’’.
-PREMIUM TIMES
