Chiradza, a Zimbabwean national, allegedly defrauded Nigerians of over N1 billion through a fake company, QZ Assets Management, and is facing seven counts of criminal charges along with team members from South Africa before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
A shocking investigation has uncovered a scandalous relationship between a Nigerian police officer, Victor Okeshola, and an international fraudster, Precious Chiradza.
Chiradza, a Zimbabwean national, allegedly defrauded Nigerians of over N1 billion through a fake company, QZ Assets Management, and is facing seven counts of criminal charges along with team members from South Africa before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
What's even more astonishing is that Okeshola, who is attached to the National Cybercrime Centre (NCC), was the same officer who investigated Chiradza's fraudulent activities in Nigeria.
Despite this, SaharaReporters learnt that he smuggled her out of the country with the help of other police officers, reportedly after receiving millions of naira in bribes.
Further investigation by SaharaReporters revealed that Chiradza, who is also known as Pria and reportedly an HIV patient, is now pregnant with Okeshola's child. Moreover, she is seeking to divorce her Nigerian husband, who resides in South Africa.
Sources told SaharaReporters that Victor Okeshola through the aid of the police prosecutors procured fake sureties to perfect her bail conditions after she was remanded in prison custody by Justice James Kolawole Omotosho, in charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/430/2023.
The charge is between the Inspector-General of Police as the Complainant and Precious Chiradza, Gugu Manana, Sicelokuhle Nyath, Samuel Atebefia, Chidinma Clement, Prof. Blake Yeung (at large), Mark Tsu (at large), Absolom Kimathi MUSA (at large), Fidelis Awusa (at large), Ashley (at large) and Blessing Ikwuagwu a.k.a Madam Cash (at large) as the 1st to 11th defendants.
CHARGES
Some of the charges read: "That you PRECIOUS CHIRADZA, GUGU MANANA, SICELOKUHLE NYATHI, SAMUEL ATEBEFIA, CHIDIMMA CLEMENT, PROF. BLAKE YEUNG (At large), MARK TSU (At large), ABSOLOM KIMATHI MUSA (At large), FIDELIS AWUSA (At large), ASHLEY (At large), and BLESSING IKEAGWU 'A.K.A. MADAM CASH' (At large) sometime between 2022 and 2023 in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did Conspire to commit an offence, to wit; obtaining by false pretence by medium of a contract induced by the false pretence and thereby commit an offence punishable under Section 8 of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006.
"That sometime between 2022 and 2023 in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did obtain from one Onyia Ogochukwu and her team about the sum of Three Hundred Thousand US Dollars ($300,000.00) which funds you obtained through the medium of a fraudulent investment scheme QZ Asset Management Company and thereby commit an offence punishable under Section 1 (1) (c) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006.
"That sometime between 2022 and 2023 in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did obtain from one Chinagorom Uchechi about the sum of Forty-four Thousand US Dollars ($44,000.00) which funds you obtained through the medium of a fraudulent investment scheme QZ Asset Management Company and thereby commit an offence punishable under Section 1 (1) (c) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006.
"That you PRECIOUS CHIRADZA, GUGU MANANA, SICELOKUHLE NYATHI, SAMUEL ATEBEFIA, CHIDIMMA CLEMENT, PROF. BLAKE YEUNG (At large), MARK TSU (At large), ABSOLOM KIMATHI MUSA (At large), FIDELIS AWUSA (At large), ASHLEY (At large), and BLESSING IKEAGWU A.K.A. MADAM CASH' (At large) sometime between 2022 and 2023 in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did obtain from one several persons who you made to believe were investors in index trading about the sum of over One Billion Naira (N1, 000,000,000.00) which funds you obtained through the medium of a fraudulent investment scheme with the name QZ Asset Management Company and thereby commit an offence punishable under Section 1 (1) (c) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006," among other counts.
GENESIS
SaharaReporters gathered that trouble started when the suspects - Precious Chiradza, Gugu Manana, Sicelokuhle Nyath, and Samuel Atebefia, were arrested in Port Harcourt, Rivers State following a petition by one Uchechi Mercy Chinagorom and Onyia Ogochukwu for defrauding them of over N1 billion invested in their company and thereafter absconded with the funds.
They were subsequently moved to NCC for proper investigation and prosecution through the directive of the Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun in 2023.
However, during the course of the investigation, the NCC investigation team led by Victor Okeshola discovered over $1 million in Precious Chiradza's account. In a bid to scuttle the investigation, Pria as otherwise known, offered the ICT operators in NCC N5 million in bribe not to disclose their findings in their report. SaharaReporters learnt that other police officers were shared dollars in envelopes including the IPO.
While in NCC custody, Victor Okeshola, the IPO, arranged for the four suspects to spend the night in a police station cell in Abuja. Each evening, they were taken there, only to be returned to NCC headquarters the following morning.
SaharaReporters' investigation uncovered that, as part of this arrangement, Pria—who had already been debriefed—would feign a health crisis at night. Victor, acting as the IPO, would then be called in and pretend to take her to a hospital, but instead, the two would spend the night together in a hotel. As a result, Pria never actually stayed in the cell while in NCC custody.
According to insider sources, during this period, Precious Chiradza struck a deal with the IPO, allegedly paying thousands of dollars to senior police officers handling the case at NCC to ease her situation. With the petitioners financially drained and the suspects willing to negotiate, the police investigation team ramped up efforts to destroy evidence, ultimately ensuring all suspects were cleared of any wrongdoing.
In a letter obtained by SaharaReporters which was addressed to the Director/Head, Nigeria Police Force- National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC), is titled: "Notice of compromise by the investigative and prosecuting team a request for immediate intervention and change of team to of team to preserve the cause of Justice," one of the petitioners' Chinagorom revealed that the police prosecution officer secretly applied to court to withdraw the case after they had facilitated the escape of the first and second defendants – Chiradza and Gugu Manana.
Written through her lawyer, F.I. Ochi, Esq and copied the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the petition was dated December 3, 2024, with lots of pictorial and video evidence showing the IPO and the suspect outside the country.
The petition partly read: "Our client is the second complainant (now a nominal complainant and witness) over the above stated case which was reported to the Inspector General of Police through a letter of complaint on allegation of cybercrime, which our client and many other Nigerian are victims.
"Upon the assignment of the complaint to your office for action, one Victor Okeshola was assigned as the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) which same was investigated upon and subsequently charged to Court with the details of the case above referred.
"While the Suspects have been arraigned and granted bail on terms and at the pendency of the case for trial, it has come to the knowledge of our client of the act of compromise by the Investigative officer who has engaged the 1st Suspect (Precious Chiradza) in an emotional love affair to the extent of going public."
Specifically, the petitioner presented several positions to demonstrate the compromise by the Investigative Officer, including: "That Victor Okeshola aided/abated the 1st Suspect (Precious Chiradza) and 2nd Suspect (Gugu Manana) to flaunt the bail terms and condition on restriction of travelling outside the country, connived and assisted the Suspect to travel with him outside the country to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Dubai and other cities outside Nigeria.
"That while Victor Okeshola, the 1st Suspect and 2nd suspect illegally travelled outside the Country and having fun at several garden and recreation centers, Victor was found confessing his love for the 1st suspect (Precious Chiradza) and making romantic speeches with the suspect.
"Pictures and video evidence of the movement and act of the IPO (Victor) with the Suspects showing the act of comprise are hereby attached and more shall be produced upon request."
According to the petition, "on the last adjourned date of the case, the 2nd Suspect (Gugu Manana) who did not return from their journey with the IPO, was absent from the Court's proceeding, and it is to the greatest dismay and chagrin of our client that, the prosecution Counsel applied to Court for withdrawal of the Charges against the suspects which the Court insisted on seeing the 2nd Suspect or her surety in Court before the application could be granted and the case was adjourned to 12th December, 2024.
"Our client is dumbfounded by the application for withdrawal of the Charge by the Prosecuting Counsel, as same is without her instruction and no one has approached her for settlement upon their grievances on crime committed against her and had perceived anticipatory breach of her right with an attempt to truncate the cause of justice in this case.
"In further buttress of the act of compromise of the prosecuting counsel, the Counsel is aware or ought to have been aware of the reason for the absence of one of the Defendants which due to the illegal travelling outside the Country and instead of informing the Court and apply for revocation of bail and summons for surety to show cause, he ignored, connived, condoned and shielded the defendants of their disobedience to the order of the Court.
"It is in view of the foregoing that our client has lost confident on the team of investigation and prosecution, our services has been retained to approach your exulted office with this letter to call your team assigned for the case to order and where appropriate assign new team for continuation of the case in the interest of justice."
Despite the detailed petition, which included evidentiary pictures and videos, SaharaReporters learned that the Director/Head of NCC did not act on the petition due to the high level of senior police officers' involvement in the scandal.
Further investigation by SaharaReporters also shows that when Justice Omotosho rejected the application seeking the withdrawal of the charge before the court, the prosecutor and IPO sought the intervention of the ministry of justice to take over and withdraw the charge.
"Victor Okeshola paid some staff of the ministry of justice N50 million on behalf of his lover suspect for them to takeover prosecution and withdraw it for lack of substantial evidence," one of the sources told SaharaReporters.
When SaharaReporters reached out to the nominal Complainant, Chinagorom, she explained that the incident took place in 2023, adding that they (suspects) were first arrested in Port Harcourt and transferred to Kubwa Police Station.
She lamented that it was the same police compromise in Port Harcourt and Kubwa that led her to petition the Inspector General of Police. In his wisdom, he transferred her petition to the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB), while Ogochukwu Onyia's petition was referred to the National Crime Commission (NCC).
She said, "So they told us that they were doing lab forensic with their gadgets, and that even the password, they would ‘unpassword it’, that they have equipment to do so.
"They told us that they wouldn't be able to access their gadgets but to my greatest surprise I walked in one day and saw Priya Chiraza using her phone. When I walked in, she was on a call inside Officer Bello's office. So I was like why was she having full access of her phone, and the officer said she wanted to reach out to her family, that the husband was calling and trying to know how they were doing.
"I asked him but you told me all these things are for forensic that they wouldn't be able to unplug it. That is when I started doubting that they are for the same story we had in Port Harcourt and Kubwa police stations. Because that day they had already told me and Ogochukwu that they had found one million dollars in Priya Chiradza's account. Our informant told us in confidence that NCC discovered $1 million in their app and that is how they agreed on what would be their share.
"That's how the IPO fell in love with Priya Chiradza and after her bail, he took her to his house. As soon as they found the money, Priya Chiradza paid the IT guy in NCC N5 million so that he would not tender his findings. It was through our informant that we got to understand why they did not disclose their findings in their report.
"They (suspects) were in the habit of putting dollars in envelopes and giving to whom they want to buy. The money they were sharing was to compromise their investigation and that was why everywhere became soft for them.
“Victor Okeshola was recommended by Chiradza's husband as a policeman to look after the wife. In the process, he saw what he could gain from Precious Chiradza or maybe he fell in love naturally and they started going out."
When Saharareporters reached out to Victor Okeshola for reaction over the allegations he said, "I am sure you know how things are done. You wouldn't expect me to be able to respond to any of such claims or allegations over the phone. However, be that as it may, if you want any clarifications like you said rightfully the matter is in court, you can get any clarifications you need in that regard. But, however, if you also need clarifications from the office you can also come to the office. But I don't think it is ideal for you to call me over the phone and want to speak on that matter, especially considering that the matter is in court."