Nigerian socialite Henry Ikeji has rejected claims that he was involved in an online romance and investment scam, which reportedly defrauded a Romanian woman of $2.5 million.
In a Wednesday interview with AIT, Ikeji described the allegations as a deliberate attempt to damage his reputation, insisting that the narrative circulating online misrepresents the facts.
“The money was paid to me from a naira account. While I’m explaining this, I feel like there is a targeted plan to destroy my reputation. As it stands, nobody believes me,” Ikeji said. “All my friends have flown away; everybody now is calling me a criminal. Across the internet, it’s being claimed that I scammed a Romanian woman.”
The claims emerged after an investigative documentary by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) alleged that Ikeji posed as the Dubai Crown Prince in a sophisticated online romance-cum-investment fraud.
Nigeria’s National Cybercrime Centre is currently reviewing the documentary and examining information available in the public domain.
As of now, no formal charges have been brought against Ikeji, and it is unclear whether the alleged victim has filed a complaint with authorities in Nigeria or overseas.
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