The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday, May 15, 2026, arraigned one Igoin Tokoni Peter, a fake presidential adviser, before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja over an alleged ₦25 million fraud.
Peter, who paraded himself as the Special Adviser to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on ICT Development and Digital Innovation, was arraigned on a four-count charge bordering on impersonation and obtaining money under false pretenses.
Count one of the charges read: “That you, Igoin Tokoni Peter, sometime between 30th August, 2024 and 30th October, 2025 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the aggregate sum of ₦25,941,787.00 (Twenty-Five Million, Nine Hundred and Forty-One Thousand, Seven Hundred and Eighty-Seven Naira) through Smartz Skyward Energy Limited account No 1312736201 domiciled with Zenith Bank from Dontown Assets Limited under the false pretense that you are the Special Assistant to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on ICT Development and Digital Innovations and that the said sum will be used to secure a cryptocurrency exchange operational license, which you knew to be false, and thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 1(1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
Count two read: “That you, Igoin Tokoni Peter, sometime between 5th September 2024 and 10th October 2025 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the aggregate sum of ₦19,806,500.00 (Nineteen Million, Eight Hundred and Six Thousand, Five Hundred Naira) through Smartz Skyward Energy Limited’s account No. 1312736201 domiciled with Zenith Bank from Jeriod Limited, under the false pretense that you are the Special Assistant to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on ICT Development and Digital Innovations and that the said sum will be used to secure a cryptocurrency exchange operational license, which you knew to be false, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
The defendant pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were read to him. This prompted the prosecution counsel, Christopher Mshelia, to ask the court for a trial date and requested that the defendant be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending his trial.
In his ruling, Justice Egwuatu admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of ₦400 million with two sureties in like sum. Both sureties must be resident in Abuja. One must be a property owner who is required to submit property documents, a passport photograph, and a valid means of identification. The second surety must be a civil servant on Grade Level 15, who must also submit their office identity card and a passport photograph.
The judge further ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the fulfillment of his bail conditions.
The matter was subsequently adjourned to July 16, 2026, for the commencement of trial.