Eric Patrick
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Port Harcourt Zonal Command, on Thursday arraigned Dr. Nekabari Dambere Nathan, a Port Harcourt-based medical doctor, before Justice P. I. Ajoku of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for alleged visa fraud amounting to N39.1 million.
Dr. Nathan was arraigned alongside his company, Global Horizons Academy Ltd, on a one-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence and advance fee fraud.
According to a statement posted by the EFCC on its official Facebook page, the charge reads:
“That you, Dr. Nekabari Dambere Nathan and Global Horizons Academy Ltd, between April 8 and December 12, 2023, in Port Harcourt within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N39,157,000 from Justice Toojah Iyieagbu, Managing Director of Riskout Consults. The money was purportedly meant for visa processing for clients to Canada, Ireland, and the United States of America — a claim you knew to be false. You thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act.”
Nathan pleaded not guilty to the charge. Prosecution counsel, A. Abubakar, requested a trial date and asked that the defendant be remanded in custody.
Defence counsel, Friday Otanjah, applied for bail on medical grounds, arguing it would enable the defendant to stand trial.
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Justice Ajoku adjourned the matter to June 25, 2025, for hearing on the bail application, and ordered that the defendant be remanded in EFCC custody. The trial is scheduled to commence on November 27, 2025.
Nathan’s arrest followed a petition alleging that in February 2023, he falsely presented himself as a caregiving trainer and travel agent, promising to facilitate international visas and employment opportunities in Canada, Ireland, and the UK.
The petitioner claimed that Nathan approached his company, Riskout Consults, and convinced its clients to pay for visa processing, IELTS exam registration, and job placement services. A total sum of N39,157,000 was reportedly transferred to the defendant, who allegedly failed to deliver any services and later became unreachable, frustrating all efforts to recover the funds.