A woman, Mbah Sophina, has been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Enugu over allegations of identity theft, forgery, and possession of fraudulent documents, marking the latest stage in a broader investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that has also linked her to a separate alleged N19.084 million fraud case.
The defendant appeared before Justice F. O. Giwa-Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court, sitting in Independence Layout, Enugu, where the EFCC filed a three-count charge accusing her of unlawfully assuming another person’s identity and forging official documents with intent to defraud.
According to the charge, the Commission alleged that between January and April 2026, Sophina possessed a document identifying her as one Florence-Gweh Togba Doaryenneh, knowing the identity claim to be false. Prosecutors further alleged that she forged a Last Minute Healthcare card bearing the same name in October 2023.
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Reading the charges before the court, the prosecution maintained that the alleged offences contravened provisions of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, as well as the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
Sophina pleaded not guilty to all three counts.
Following her plea, counsel to the EFCC, Assistant Superintendent of the EFCC Ahmad Yusuf Abdullahi, urged the court to fix a trial date and remand the defendant in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending the hearing of the case. Defence counsel, M. I. Odo, however, requested a short adjournment to enable him file a formal application for bail.
Justice Giwa-Ogunbanjo subsequently adjourned the matter until November 19, 2026, for trial and ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Nigerian Correctional Service facility in Enugu pending further proceedings.
Court records disclosed that the Federal High Court case is not the only legal challenge facing the defendant. The EFCC is simultaneously prosecuting Sophina before Justice C. A. Ogbuabor of the Enugu State High Court on a separate two-count charge bordering on alleged stealing and obtaining money by false pretence involving N19,084,000.
In that matter, the defendant had earlier pleaded not guilty and was granted bail, with trial scheduled to commence on September 18, 2026.
The anti-graft agency said the investigations leading to both prosecutions originated from a petition filed by a complainant who claimed he met the defendant through TikTok in 2024. According to the EFCC, the petitioner informed investigators that he intended to relocate to the United Kingdom through a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) arrangement to secure employment as a caregiver.
The Commission alleged that after receiving N19.084 million from the complainant to facilitate the process, the defendant failed to provide the promised documents and subsequently blocked further communication.
The EFCC further stated that a search conducted at the defendant’s residence during the investigation led to the recovery of an identification card bearing her photograph but carrying the name Florence-Gweh Togba Doaryenneh, an item investigators believe is relevant to the identity theft charges now before the Federal High Court.
The allegations remain before the courts, and no findings of guilt have been made against the defendant.
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