Posted by This Day on
The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has cited Dr. Ikemba Iweala, husband of former Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in the payment of $185,000 hush money to a woman who was threatening to go public with details of their sexual affair.
The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has cited Dr. Ikemba Iweala, husband of former Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in the payment of $185,000 hush money to a woman who was threatening to go public with details of their sexual affair.
Queen Nwoye, a 28-year-old nurse resident in Maryland in the US, was accused in an indictment filed on Friday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. of extorting money from Ikemba Iweala, a 59-year-old neurosurgeon.
An FBI affidavit filed in court details the alleged extortion plot, which began early last year when Dr. Iweala, who works at Washington's Providence Hospital, received a call from Nwoye. According to FBI Agent William Ronacher, Iweala, acknowledged having a year-long affair with Nwoye in 2002-2003, adding that they remained "social friends" after their "intimate relationship" ended.
In a February 2006 phone conversation, Nwoye asked Iweala to speak with her cousin, whom she identified as "Ernest Ufondu." In a series of subsequent phone calls spanning two months, "Ufondu" repeatedly demanded money from Iweala in return for his and Nwoye's silence. In fact, "Ufondu" was actually Nwoye's boyfriend, Adriane Osuagwu. Iweala initially agreed to make two $20,000 payments.
A week after delivering the second installment (which he turned over to Nwoye in cash in the Providence Hospital parking lot), Iweala received a call from his ex-lover. She "told him that she had not had sex in a while and that she wanted to see him," according to the FBI affidavit.
Amazingly, Dr. Iweala agreed to a rendezvous with his extorter later that evening. The pair, in Nwoye's car, drove to a secluded area of the hospital parking lot and disrobed. As they "were engaged in sex, or about to engage in sex," an unknown man approached the auto and began taking photos of the naked duo. Not surprisingly, the brain surgeon immediately began receiving new demands from Osuagwu, who told him, "What happened tonight? That was a terrible mistake. Now I have the photos. You have to pay money to stop all these things." Iweala paid an additional $145,000 before contacting authorities about the scheme.
In subsequent phone conversations monitored by the FBI, Nwoye told Iweala the explicit photos "would not go anywhere without her support" and claimed that all the money she received was forwarded to "Ufondu." Nwoye is charged with a felony count of conspiracy to commit extortion. She was granted bail on a personal recognizance bond and scheduled for a February 15 federal court appearance.