Visa scam: Man abandons wife, dupes lover

A 44-year-old Nigerian, Raph Emmason, who is based in South Africa, has reportedly been arrested by the Lagos state police command after he allegedly defrauded one Miss Chukwu Glory, his alleged secret lover, to the tune of N400, 000 under false claims of procuring her a visa and taking her to South Africa as his wife.

P.M.News reports that Emmason who had relocated his family back to Nigeria, has landed in prison custody at Kirikiri, Lagos State, over fraud and alleged infidelity.

Emmason, who reports say hails from Mbano in Imo State, had lived in South Africa for nine years and decided to relocate his wife, Rita, and two children to Nigeria. He had reportedly provided accommodation for them in Port Harcourt and told his wife he was returning to South Africa.

Reports further indicated that whenever he called Rita on phone, he would pretend he was in South Africa; unknown to Rita, her husband reportedly went to Abuja with his lover, Glory and remained there for several months.

Emmason also allegedly lied to his lover, Glory, that he was not yet married and promised to marry her and to take her and her three brothers, Uchenna, Okoye and Onyimba to South Africa.

Glory believed him and they were living together in Glory’s apartment in Abuja as supposed husband and wife, as well using Glory’s official car.

He further demanded some money from her to add to his own to procure four visas which she gave him, after which he allegedly dumped her and relocated to Lagos to lodge in a hotel with another woman.
As the story goes, he did not procure any visa; neither did he return Glory’s money.

Glory later traced him to a hotel where he lodged in Lagos and invited the police to arrest him.

When the police requested for the money, he said he had used it to procure three visas which the police later discovered were fake.

According to reports, Emmason was charged to court with obtaining large sums from an unsuspecting victim under deception and stealing under the Criminal Code.

The presiding Magistrate, Mrs J. O. E. Adeyemi, at Ejigbo Magistrates’ Court sitting in Lagos, granted him bail with two sureties who must show evidence of tax payment, after he pleaded not guilty.

However, he was remanded in prison pending when he will perfect his bail condition.

When his wife, Rita, was contacted, she reportedly insisted her husband was in South Africa. After several alleged persuasions, she went to the court only to discover the real situation.
The magistrate, adjourned the matter till 19 October.