5 things to know about governorship candidate arrested over ₦607m cybercrime

 Here are five things you need to know about the politician, who could have become a state governor if he had won his election in March.

Wilfred Bonse when he picked his expression of interest and nomination forms in 2022. [Daily Trust]

On Sunday, November 26, 2023, the Nigeria Police Force announced the arrest of a Cross River politician, Wilfred Bonse, for financial fraud at a cryptocurrency firm, Patricia.

Bonse, who was the governorship candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Cross River State in the 2023 general election, allegedly conspired to launder the sum of ₦50 million that originated from the fraudulent diversion of ₦607 million from Patricia.

In a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi said the suspect received the funds with his bank account through a cryptocurrency wallet.

The stolen fund is said to be a part of the ₦2 billion loss Patricia incurred when its cryptocurrency processing platform suffered a security breach in May 2023.

Wilfred Bonse arrested alongside three others for cybercrime. [Instagram/Ynaija]

According to the police, Bonse has registered his involvement in the crime.

So, here are five things you need to know about the politician, who could have become a state governor if he had won the March 18 governorship election in Cross River.

• Social Media Profile

On Twitter and Instagram, Bonse describes himself as a Financial/Management Consultant, Philanthropist, Humanist, Ambassador of Goodwill/Global Peace Ambassador, and Politician.

• Why he dumped PDP for NNPP

Bonse was a governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but when he could not get the party’s ticket in 2022, he joined the NNPP.

In an interview with NAN, Bonse said the PDP failed to clear him to contest in its primary election. As a result, he demanded a refund of the sum of ₦21 million he paid to buy his expression of interest and nomination forms.

• Lawsuit threat against INEC

After the March 18 Governorship and House of Assembly election, Bonse accused the INEC of denying the people of his state the opportunity to vote for him because his party logo was missing on the ballot

He blasted INEC over the conduct of the election and threatened to sue the commission.

• Previous fraud allegation

The crypto heist in Patricia is not the first fraud allegation linked to Bonse, the politician had also been fingered in cyber-related fraud before the Patricia heist.

Last February, he was accused of receiving N40m from a cyber fraud scheme executed by a group of hackers identified as ‘The Syndicate’.

• Lawsuit threat against a news publisher

After the report of him being allegedly involved in a cyber-related crime, Bonse accused Samuel Ogundipe, the publisher of Peoples Gazette of defamation.

The online news platform had reported in February that some hackers breached the security wall of a financial account and stole ₦103 million that was shared among several accounts including Bonse’s.

Following the report, the politician threatened to sue Ogundipe, saying the report was “a shoddy campaign of calumny from a well documented blackmailer.”