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Malta-based Nigerian footballer Sunday Eboh arrested over romance scam

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Malta-based Nigerian footballer Sunday Eboh arrested over romance scam

A Nigerian footballer based in Malta, Sunday Eboh, has been arrested by the Maltese police for allegedly defrauding a woman of the sum of €58,000 (about N26.7m), by posing as an American soldier online and proposing marriage to the victim.

According to Maltatoday, Eboh, who is ‘one of Malta’s most prolific Nigerian footballing imports,’ was arrested on Monday and arraigned in court on romance scam and money laundering charges alongside a Maltese national, Alexandra Pace, and three other Nigerians, Collins Eguavoen, Marvis Iyeke and Tony Ogbonna, who are said to be members of the fraud syndicate.

The police said that an elderly Maltese woman fell victim to the fraud after engaging in an online relationship with Eboh whom she believed was an American soldier deployed in Afghanistan who promised her that he would return to Malta once his deployment ended and get married to her.

“Despite never meeting with the soldier, the woman took the relationship seriously, and transferred €58,000 to the person who allegedly asked her to pay for his expenses,” the police said in a statement.

“Investigations by the police later revealed the alleged fraud was being carried out in the country by a group of people who were seeing that the money was being deposited in a number of local bank accounts. The money was being transacted in small amounts and laundered.

Read also: Romance scam lands man who claimed to be a lady porn star in jail

“The police were able to identify those who were behind the scam and arrested five individuals aged between 28 to 58 years of age.

“Ogbonna is the mastermind in the operation, although no account was traced back to him,” the police statement added.

According to a police profile, Eboh has played for a host of Maltese teams including Marsa, Birkirkara, Victoria Hotspurs, Marsaxlokk, Floriana, Naxxar Lions, Birzebbugia, and Pembroke.

He also played for Greek side, Apollon Smyrnis, before moving to Malta a few years ago.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke refused bail after the prosecution raised fears that the accused could tamper with evidence or approach the vulnerable victim.

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