Life imitates fraud: Widows of Nigerian official squabble for illgotten wealth

Timothy Olufemi Akanni was a Nigerian electoral official, being the director of Finance and Supplies from 1996 to 2005. He was also a Pentecostal church pastor. He died in a plane crash in 22 October 2006. He was eulogised as a selfless and patriotic Nigerian.

What was to be revealed later was that Akanni had another secret wife, and has amassed $55 million dollars illegally.

The matter was discovered when his two widows started squabbling about the spoils.

A corrupt official, or hypocrite pastor is nothing new.

What is amazing is that this looks like a plot from a typical email fraud from Nigeria. Imagine reading this:

I am [someone] Olufemi Akanni, the widow of Timothy Olufemi Akanni, the late director of Nigeria's Electoral committee who died in a plane crash on 22 October 2006.

You can read more on this at the BBC at

My husband has left me 55,000,000 (FIFTY FIVE MILLION US DOLLARS), but someone else is claiming to be his widow.

I need someone I can trust to transfer this money safely abroad for a 90% share.

What a coincidence ...





Nigerians and Asian Indians are tied for first place around the world as people you would least like to have move into your neighbourhood or become new associates at work. They are widely considered work shy, scammers and downright dishonest. Every time you read an article about these people, there is always some scam they are trying to pull. I know Somalians and Jamaicans are also very unwelcome because of the violence they bring with them, but for outright thieves, Nigerians and Asian Indians are top of the list.