Nigerian socialite Henry Ikeji has denied allegations that he defrauded a Romanian woman of millions of dollars through an online romance and investment scam, describing the claims as a deliberate attempt to tarnish his reputation.
In an interview with AIT on Wednesday, Ikeji rejected reports that he impersonated the Crown Prince of Dubai in a sophisticated online fraud that allegedly cost the victim around $2.5 million.
He insisted that the funds were actually paid into his account in naira and questioned the motives behind the circulating allegations.
“The money was paid to me from a naira account. While I’m explaining this, I feel there is a targeted plan to destroy my reputation because nobody believes me,” Ikeji told reporters.
He added that the public narrative had severely affected his personal and professional life.
“All my people that believe in my reputation are now doubting me.
All my friends have flown away; everybody now is calling me a criminal. All over the internet, it is circulating that I scammed a Romanian woman.”
The allegations stem from a documentary by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, which claimed that a woman identified only as Laura was contacted on LinkedIn by someone posing as the Dubai Crown Prince.
Police in Nigeria’s National Cybercrime Centre are reviewing the documentary as part of their ongoing investigation.
A senior police official said that investigators are still in the profiling stage, and no formal complaints have been received from the alleged victim or documentary producers.
The Centre is gathering further evidence before deciding on next steps.
No charges have been filed against Ikeji, and it remains unclear whether the alleged victim has lodged a formal complaint with authorities in Nigeria or abroad.
This case highlights ongoing concerns about online romance and investment scams targeting international victims and the challenges law enforcement faces in tracing such cross-border fraud.
