PORT HARCOURT — The Port Harcourt Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Modupe Oriyomi Ativie before Justice A.T. Muhammed of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, over an alleged multi-million-naira visa and advance fee scam.
Ativie was docked alongside her firm, Eudora and Aegle Management Consulting Limited, on a five-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, advance fee fraud, and obtaining money under false pretenses.
The Allegations and Charges
According to the anti-graft agency, the defendant exploited unsuspecting job seekers by promising lucrative Canadian visa-sponsored employment packages.
Court documents revealed that in July 2024, Ativie and her company allegedly duped one Atamuotoru Dikiari Michael of ₦8,580,000. The funds were reportedly funneled through the victim’s sister, Rita Chikeru Owhonda, under the guise of securing Canadian work placement—a claim investigators confirmed to be entirely false.
In a separate count, the defendant was accused of fleecing another victim, Augustine Olague, of ₦22,482,000 between November 21, 2024, and January 23, 2025, under the same employment-visa pretext.
The petition that blew the lid off the scam was filed by Michael Aiamunotorudikari. He stated that his sister introduced him to Eudora and Aegle Travel Management Consultant in June 2024. After initial cash and bank remittances totaling $5,800 and ₦8,580,000, the defendant reportedly severed all communication, prompting a formal complaint to the EFCC.
Comprehensive investigations by the commission uncovered that Ativie amassed an aggregate sum of ₦31,062,000 from the primary petitioner, alongside $3,600 and €1,815 from multiple other victims caught in the web of the scam.
Court Proceedings and Remand
When the charges were read in court, Ativie entered a plea of “not guilty.”
Following her plea, prosecution counsel I. Agwu prayed the court for a trial date and requested that the defendant be remanded in the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre. However, defense counsel J. Kehinde moved an oral application for bail to allow her adequate time to prepare for her trial.
After listening to both sides, Justice Muhammed ordered that the defendant be remanded in EFCC custody and adjourned the matter to today, October 16, 2026, for ruling on the bail application.
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