The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned an Enugu-based socialite, Mbah Chidinma Sophina, before the Federal High Court in Enugu over alleged identity theft, forgery and possession of fraudulent documents, while she also faces a separate trial over an alleged ₦19.084 million UK visa scam.
The anti-graft agency disclosed the development in a statement issued on Thursday, saying the defendant was arraigned before Justice F. O. Giwa-Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court sitting in Independence Layout, Enugu, on a three-count charge bordering on identity theft and forgery.
According to the EFCC, the prosecution alleges that Sophina fraudulently assumed the identity of one Florence-Gweh Togba Doaryenneh and forged official documents in a bid to defraud unsuspecting victims.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Mbah Chidinma Sophina, sometime between 1st of January, 2026 to 30th of April, 2026 at Enugu, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria with intent to defraud, had in your possession, a document asserting that you are Florence-Gweh Togba Doaryenneh, which to your knowledge contained a false pretence and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 6 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 6 (1)(3) of the same Act.”
The second count alleges that between October 1 and October 25, 2023, the defendant knowingly forged a Last Minute Healthcare card bearing the name Florence-Gweh Togba Doaryenneh, an offence punishable under the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
Sophina pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were read in court.
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 trial.
Defence counsel, M. I. Odo, requested a short adjournment to enable him file a formal bail application on behalf of his client.
Justice Giwa-Ogunbanjo subsequently adjourned the matter until November 19, 2026, for trial and ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Enugu Correctional Centre.
The EFCC disclosed that Sophina is also standing trial before Justice C. A. Ogbuabor of the Enugu State High Court on a separate two-count charge bordering on stealing and obtaining money by false pretence involving ₦19,084,000.
According to the Commission, the alleged fraud stemmed from a petition filed by a victim who claimed he met the defendant on TikTok in 2024 after expressing his intention to relocate to the United Kingdom through a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to work as a caregiver.
The petitioner alleged that after paying ₦19.084 million to Sophina to facilitate the procurement of the CoS documents, she failed to provide the promised documents and allegedly blocked all communication with him.
The EFCC said investigations led operatives to execute a search warrant at the defendant’s residence, where they allegedly recovered an identification card bearing her photograph but carrying the name Florence-Gweh Togba Doaryenneh, which formed part of the evidence supporting the identity theft charges.
The Commission added that although Sophina was granted bail in the separate ₦19 million fraud case after pleading not guilty, proceedings in that matter have been adjourned until September 18, 2026, for trial.
