Two Nigerian nationals based in Ireland, Francis Ogbuefi, 42, and Steven Silvester, 32, have been sentenced to a combined jail term of over 16 years for their roles in what was described as a “highly sophisticated, global money laundering scheme”.

According to Raidió Teilifís Éireann on Friday, the duo were arrested and prosecuted following a lengthy investigation by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau of Ireland.

Ogbuefi, of Clonard Road, Crumlin, Dublin, was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment, while Silvester, of The Paddocks, Morristown, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, received a seven-and-a-half-year sentence.

The pair had allegedly travelled from Nigeria to Ireland to engage in organised fraud.

The total value of the scams linked to the case was put at €6.17m, according to the report.

Both men were said to have denied the charges but were found guilty by a jury after a trial last month.

Court proceedings, according to the RTE, revealed that more than €6m was stolen and laundered through various schemes, including romance fraud and smishing, with funds moved across multiple bank accounts.

The reports disclosed that investigators found that the two men coordinated the provision and monitoring of accounts used to receive illicit funds.

Evidence was said to have shown that they received requests from across the world—many linked to Nigerian phone numbers—seeking accounts for fraudulent transactions.

The report added that data recovered from Ogbuefi’s phone detailed job specifications, transaction volumes, and account requirements.

He was said to have also been found to have instructed that accounts be opened under Irish names to avoid suspicion.

The report quoted prosecutors as saying Ogbuefi acted as a key contact for collaborators outside Ireland.

A nine-minute instructional video on how to carry out the fraud was also discovered on his device, alongside images showing him overseeing transactions and directing the group’s activities.

He reportedly took a 20 per cent cut of the proceeds and claimed to have extensive experience in the scheme.

Further evidence indicated that Ogbuefi entered Ireland as a student, while Silvester had initially lived in direct provision before becoming transient.

The presiding judge, Martin Nolan, reportedly described the operation as complex, noting that money laundering networks rely heavily on access to bank accounts.

The judge said both men demonstrated a strong understanding of banking systems, regularly testing their vulnerabilities.

While the crimes were difficult to detect, the report noted that the judge commended investigators for pursuing leads and presenting compelling evidence.

The judge also noted that the convicts had no prior criminal records and were regarded positively by their families, describing them as intelligent and capable of reform.

The case adds to a growing number of fraud-related convictions involving Nigerians abroad.

This year alone, over 100 Nigerians have been arrested in Ghana over alleged fraud and other offences.

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The Kebbi State Police Command on Tuesday said all the suspects linked to the circumstances surrounding the death of two young sisters at the General Hospital, Zuru, have been detained.

The development comes as the state government’s probe panel, set up to investigate the incident, has begun sittings in Zuru.

The sisters, aged three and six, reportedly died on March 18 after allegedly being administered the wrong medication during treatment at the hospital.

Confirming the incident in a telephone interview with PUNCH Metro, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Nafi’u Abubakar, said arrests had been made and investigations were ongoing.

“We are aware of the incident. All those involved have been arrested, and investigations are ongoing,” he said.

PUNCH Metro had earlier reported that the state government constituted a special committee to probe the controversial deaths, following public outrage over allegations that the children died after receiving a wrongful injection.

Governor Nasir Idris approved the panel, with the decision conveyed in Birnin Kebbi by the Secretary to the State Government, Yakubu Bala Tafida.

In a statement issued on Monday by the media aide to the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmad Aliyu, the panel—sitting at the hospital—heard testimonies from key witnesses, including hospital staff and the parents of the deceased.

“Medical personnel, including the principal medical officer, Dr Thomas Gode; medical officer, Dr Mohammed Fakai; and the nurses on duty from the day the girls were admitted until the third day, when they died, all appeared before the panel and were cross-examined,” Aliyu disclosed.

The statement added that the deceased’s parents, led by the father, Ibrahim Shuni, alongside other family members, also presented their case and accounts of what transpired during the period.

“As part of its assignment, the committee met with hospital staff, who highlighted the adverse effects of communication gaps among personnel.

“They stressed the need for teamwork and timely consultation in critical situations involving life-saving decisions,” the statement noted.

According to Aliyu, the chairman of the panel and commissioner for information, Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed BK, urged staff members of the hospital to adhere strictly to medical ethics, warning that costly mistakes that could endanger lives must be avoided at all times.

“The Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Ismaila Yakubu Augie, also called for greater synergy and cooperation across all levels of the profession to ensure quality healthcare delivery.

“Other contributors included the Provost of Kauran Gwandu College of Nursing Sciences, Ambursa; Dr Murtala Musa Muhammed; Chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Comrade Kelani Abdulwaliyyi; Director of Inspectorate, Dr Lawan Kangiwa; and Director of Nursing Services, Alhaji Hantsi Garba.

“The committee will continue its sittings, with more witnesses expected to testify.”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has marked an Abuja property linked to former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), saying the action followed a valid interim forfeiture order granted by a court.

The commission’s spokesman, Dele Oyewale, stated this in an interview with our correspondent on Monday, noting that the action was a normal law enforcement procedure.

Oyewale said the marking of the property was meant to notify members of the public about its status following a forfeiture order.

The statement followed a viral video of altercations between the former minister and operatives of the EFCC, which generated reactions online.

“There is nothing illegal in the matter. The attachment or marking of property that is on a forfeiture order is a normal law enforcement action when the court has granted an interim forfeiture,” Oyewale said.

He explained that once a forfeiture order is issued, the agency has the right to attach or mark the property to caution the public.

“What I mean by attachment of property is the normal marking of the property to caution members of the public that the property so marked is a forfeited property, whether in interim or final forfeiture.

“So when there is a forfeiture order by the court, the enforcement agency can go ahead and make markings,” he added.

The EFCC spokesman also dismissed claims that operatives raided the property, insisting that the commission only carried out enforcement of a court order.

“The commission did not go there to raid anywhere. We are not involved in any such act. So there is nothing illegal about what we have done,” Oyewale said.

In a two-minute video obtained by our correspondent, which earlier went viral, Malami was seen questioning the operatives over the legality of the action and demanding to see the court order authorising the marking of his house.

The former minister argued that the order presented was not specific to his property and claimed the matter was still pending in court.

He accused the commission of attempting to embarrass him, saying, “Where is your court order? The order here is not specific. It didn’t give you a clear directive to come and mark my property… You want to move nationwide to embarrass me? Go ahead, we will meet in court.”

An EFCC operative in the video maintained that once a property is under forfeiture, the commission has the right to mark it.

The development came a few hours after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar led a delegation on a solidarity visit to Malami.

Atiku, who recently returned from Umrah in Saudi Arabia, also called on authorities to release former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and other detainees.

He said no one should be held for holding a different political ideology from the government.

In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, he said, “Following my return to the country on Saturday night from Umrah (lesser Hajj), I led a delegation on a solidarity visit to the former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN.

“I wish to serve notice to the authorities detaining former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, @elrufai, and all other political detainees to release them henceforth.

“No one should be detained simply because they do not share the same ideology or political platform with the government of the day. -AA”

Speaking on the clampdown on Malami’s properties, Atiku declared it as clear evidence of alleged state-sponsored intimidation and abuse of power by the President Bola Tinubu administration.

In a statement through his media office on Monday, Atiku alleged that Tinubu was actively dismantling democracy and pushing Nigeria toward full-blown authoritarian rule, with dangerous implications for the entire West African subregion.

Atiku characterised the action by the EFCC as unlawful, driven by vendetta, and politically motivated.

“This is not governance. This is intimidation. This is a regime weaponising state power to silence dissent,” Atiku declared.

He claimed that under Tinubu, Nigeria was undergoing a rapid deterioration of democratic norms, with state institutions increasingly deployed as tools for political persecution.

“What we are seeing is the naked abuse of power—security agencies deployed not for national security, but for settling political scores. This is how democracies die.

“Let it be said clearly: this government is terrified of competition. That is why it is resorting to brute force—harassing, intimidating, and attempting to break opposition leaders into submission,” he stated.

He further alleged that the sustained targeting of figures like El-Rufai and Malami is part of a broader strategy to coerce them into abandoning opposition politics and falling in line with the ruling APC.

“This is political extortion at the highest level—join us or be destroyed. That is the message being sent,” he said.

The statement continued, “When opposition is criminalised, and dissent is punished, elections become a mere formality. If Tinubu wants to run unopposed, then let INEC stop wasting public funds on a sham election.

“We have seen this script before. It ended in national disgrace. What is happening now is a dangerous replay—one that Nigerians must resist.

“Governors and political leaders are being railroaded into the APC under threat of persecution. This is not politics—it is state capture.”In January, a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 properties suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities allegedly linked to Malami and two of his sons, Abdulaziz Malami and Abiru Rahman Malami.

The court also directed the EFCC to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national daily, inviting any individual or organisation with an interest in the assets to appear before it within 14 days to show cause why the properties should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government.

In February, Malami filed an application challenging the interim forfeiture of the properties linked to him.

The EFCC had also arraigned Malami, his wife and son over allegations bordering on money laundering amounting to N8,713,923,759.49.

On July 2, 2025, Malami announced his defection to the African Democratic Congress.

He was appointed as AGF in 2015 by the late President Muhammadu Buhari and was in the administration until its end in 2023.

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