Cecilia Agu, a socialite, was jailed for a $275 million internet scam.

Ms. Cecilia May Agu, a sex educator and therapist with an office in Abuja, was charged on Wednesday by the Nigerian Police with conducting an alleged N275 million online fraud.

Cecilia, 40, was brought before Justice Daniel Osiagor’s court on five counts that included allegations of conspiracy, forgery, fraud, and gaining property via false pretenses.

According to the Police Prosecutor, Samuel Eredia, the crime was perpetrated on February 20, 2023, at No. 28b, Babatunde Ajose Street, off Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos State, by the defendant and other people still at large.

Eredia said that Cecilia cheated one Babatunde Oyebode of N275 million by sending an electronic message and falsely represented herself as someone who would assist him in validating, authenticating, and verifying his Instagram profile with celebrities and other of his clients—something she did not do.

The prosecution asserted that the accused offense violated Sections 1(a), 1(b), 2, and Sections 13 and 14 (1), (2), and (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offenses Acts of 2006, as well as Sections 27 (a) and (b), 13 and 14, and Sections 13 and 14 (1), (2), and (1).

She did not, however, admit culpability to the accusation leveled against her.

The prosecutor asked the court to put Cecilia in a Correctional Facility after she entered a not guilty plea.

However, Elvis E. Asia, the defendant’s attorney, informed the court that he would ask for bail.

Asia admitted to the Court that he did not know his client would be arraigned on Wednesday because he first learned of it that morning.

Asia went on to say that his client had been held by the police for more than a month and that Justice Abimbola Awogboro had earlier ordered her release as a result of a fundamental human rights case that was brought before the court. However, the police had disregarded the court’s ruling, according to Asia.

He claimed that Cecilia was detained on May 5 and that the police have failed to free the mother of four even though Justice Awogboro had granted her bail.

As a result, the defendant was granted bail in the amount of N10 million with two sureties in the same amount by Justice Daniel Osiagor.

One of the sureties, according to him, must be employed and have a National Identification Number on their identity card.

In addition, the judge commanded the defendant to bring three current passport photos and her international passport into court.

His stance was that the second surety had to have a landed property, an identity card, and a national identification number.

As a result, the judge mandated that the defendant be kept in custody until she can fulfill her bail requirements by remanding her to the correctional facility.

The trial date for the case was set as October 18.