Real Estate Boss Recounts N238.6m Scam

​ABUJA — The courtroom drama surrounding the trial of Queen Oluchi Duruibe intensified on Thursday before Justice Y. Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Apo, Abuja, as the key prosecution witness detailed how he lost millions in an elaborate investment scheme.

​Duruibe is standing trial before the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on a four-count charge bordering on investment fraud and obtaining money under false pretences to the tune of N238.6 million.

​Testifying as the first prosecution witness (PW1), Promise Egwim, who is the chief executive of the real estate firm Profilled World Homes, narrated under cross-examination by defence counsel O.R. Odisa how the defendant lured him into parting with the funds under the guise of sourcing a massive N10 billion capital injection for his firm.

​According to Egwim, the N238.6 million paid to Duruibe served as part payment for a 10 percent agency commission she demanded upfront to facilitate the multi-billion-naira portfolio.

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​“The total sum of N238,600,000 that I gave her was part of the 10 percent of N10 billion investment she promised to bring for my company,” Egwim told the court.

​Recalling the pressure mounted on him during the transaction, the developer revealed that the defendant claimed an initial N3 billion tranche of the investment was already finalized and awaiting clearance, using it as leverage to push for immediate payment.

​“She even said that there was already a N3 billion investment on the ground on that day and that if I didn’t release the money, she would not be able to bring the deal,” Egwim testified. “I did not want to approve the cheque, but she pressured me to speak with my account officer to approve the cheque.”

​The witness further noted that when the promised capital failed to materialize, Duruibe made alternative commitments—including a pledge to supply truckloads of cement equivalent to the cash collected—a promise he said she equally failed to fulfill.

​The EFCC originally arraigned Duruibe on April 30, 2026, following a petition filed by the real estate executive. Investigations revealed that upon presenting herself as an expert investment facilitator capable of drawing high-value capital inflows to Profilled World Homes, the defendant successfully extracted funds through multiple channels. This included two Zenith Bank cheques valued at N97 million and N41 million respectively, alongside direct bank transfers and cash payments that totaled the N238.6 million threshold.

​Despite collecting the substantial sum, court filings indicate that Duruibe neither delivered the capital inflow nor returned any portion of the funds to the firm.

​Justice Halilu has adjourned the proceedings to November 25, 2026, for the continuation of the trial.