Metro
British Grandmother Who Went To Ghana To Try Get Her £1m Savings Back From Scammers K!lled In Car Crash
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A British widow d!ed in a car crash in Ghana after she was conned by romance fraudsters out of her entire £1million life savings, an inquest has heard.
According to Mail Online, Janet Fordham suffered fatal injuries in the collision on February 14, 2023, having travelled to Ghana the previous October.
At the time of travelling to Ghana, the 69-year-old was living in a caravan with her son Martin and daughter-in-law Melanie Fordham in Honiton, Devon, after using all of her savings and selling up her home and land.
Mrs Fordham’s problems started when she started using online dating websites in 2017 and fell in love with a romance fraudster who was claiming to be a British Army sergeant working in Syria.
Devon Coroner’s Court heard how Mrs Fordham was conned into sending him around £150,000, but her family are unclear how she transitioned from one fraud to the next.
The inquest heard Mrs Fordham had fallen victim to several online scams over a five-year period that saw her lose her home and life savings.
During this time, the widow sent £140,000 of her family’s money to scammers, withdrew the maximum £500 a day of cash, and even had her car seized to stop her going to ATM machines.
Mrs Fordham’s family desperately tried everything to stop her, while detectives spoke to her about allegations of fraud in 2017, 2020, and 2022. But no matter what everyone tried, the police could not investigate further as Mrs Fordham refused to cooperate.
The retired housekeeper then flew to Ghana in October 2022 to meet a man named Kofi, who claimed he could help her get her money back.
They had become romantically involved and were on their way to get approval from a member of his family for marriage, when the fatal crash happened on Valentine’s Day 2023.
Kofi was driving when the car left the road and crashed, with Mrs Fordham suffering fatal injuries. He later pleaded guilty to driving offences and received a suspended prison sentence and fine, the court heard.
Detective Sergeant Ben Smith, of Devon and Cornwall Police, confirmed there was no evidence of any third-party involvement in Mrs Fordham’s death.
The romance fraud began when Mrs Fordham started online dating in 2017 and met a man claiming to be a British Army sergeant major working in Syria who needed her help to get gold bars to the UK.
‘He was retiring soon to return to the UK. She said they were in love and they were going to buy a house together,’ Melanie said.
‘Janet mentioned nothing about any money at that point, but I remember candidly saying to her that it all seemed a little unbelievable, and the next thing he would be asking for money.
‘I told her categorically not to send him any. Janet had been sending money to him, but we didn’t find out about this until years later. I believe she gave him around £150,000.’
The widow later learned she had been further defrauded by a ‘diplomat’ after her UK bank accounts were frozen.
‘I think she realised that she had been scammed, but initially struggled to accept it,’ her daughter-in-law said.
‘We’re not clear how Janet transitioned from one fraud to the next.
‘We became aware that she transferred money by several means, including bank transfers, wire transfers at the post office, and potentially a travel agent.
‘The banks, post office etc stopped her from using their services, transferring money, because they recognised that it was fraud.’
The inquest heard that another man, Kofi, contacted Mrs Fordham saying he was a doctor in Ghana working part-time in a friend’s mobile phone repair shop.
‘He was working on a phone that saw messages to and from Janet on there. He believed Janet had been scammed,’ Mrs Fordham said.
‘He felt compelled to help her get her money back. So, he took her phone number and made contact.’
Police spoke to Mrs Fordham about Kofi, but officers could not further the investigation due to her lack of engagement.
The court heard Mrs Fordham contacted police again because her mother-in-law was continuing to transfer money abroad using bitcoin and ATMs.
‘Whether she was in so deep, she couldn’t accept it was all gone, she had to keep piling money in the hope of getting something back,’ she said.
‘Whether she genuinely believed what she was being told, we will never know.’
She also borrowed money from other family members, which totalled around £140,000, and was also in arrears on loans and credit cards.
‘Janet wouldn’t tell us much, so we started opening some of her mail and discovered that she had cashed in a chunk of her pension,’ Melanie said.
‘She was withdrawing the maximum £500 a day, we believe to stockpile, and then transferred cash as the banks had stopped her doing electronic transfers.
‘I was very aware that we don’t know everything and there is probably a whole lot more.’
In October 2022, Mrs Fordham flew to Ghana to meet Kofi who she was romantically linked to.
‘As a family, we tried everything to stop her, but she was adamant,’ her daughter-in-law said.
‘I spoke to her doctor, sought legal advice, but because she was of sound mind, albeit brainwashed, she was deemed to have capacity and there was nothing we could do.’
Detective Sergeant Smith said officers had contact with Mrs Fordham about allegations of fraud in 2017, 2020, and 2022.
‘It shows Janet Fordham as a sustained victim of fraud throughout that period,’ he said.
‘It’s believed that Janet has sent a considerable amount of money, estimated at between £800,000 and £1million over that period.
‘As a result, she had used all her savings, sold her home and land, and was living in a caravan with Martin and Melanie in their garden.
‘Police throughout these investigations have endeavoured to do everything they can to persuade Janet not to have any contact with the criminals and not to hand over money.
‘There was no issue with capacity, and that she was making these decisions of her own free will.’
Mr Smith said on the day she died, Mrs Fordham and Kofi were driving from Accra to the Oti region ‘to get approval from a family member for marriage’.
Mrs Fordham suffered fatal injuries in the crash. Philip Spinney, senior coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, recorded a narrative conclusion.
‘The evidence shows that Janet Fordham lost a considerable amount of money between 2017 and 2022,’ he said.
‘The true figure is not known, but it’s believed to be between £800,000 and £1million.
‘Devon and Cornwall Police investigated these matters, although I should point out that Janet herself did not ever make a formal complaint to the police, nor did she co-operate fully with the police investigation.
‘In October 2022, she travelled to Ghana to meet a man named Kofi. He had agreed to help her try and recover some of the money.
‘The family believed that she also went for romantic reasons. Indeed, it’s believed that she planned to marry Kofi.’
He added: ‘I conclude that Janet Fordham d!ed as a consequence of a head injury that was probably sustained in a road traffic collision.’
Her son Mel said on a Gofundme page set up to fly her body home: ‘Janet lost absolutely everything. The Ghanaian scammers were able to manipulate her and by coercive control, managed to destroy her life.
‘She was no longer the mum and grandmother that her family knew and loved. Before her death, all that she had was taken from her.
‘We tried everything in our power to stop this from happening. We spoke to the bank, her doctor, a solicitor and on multiple occasions the police.
‘But the system very much let us down. Everywhere we turned we were told there was no help.
‘Because she was of sound mind, we couldn’t take control of her finances. All we ever wanted to do was to protect Janet.
‘But because she was of sound mind, although everyone could see she was being controlled, we were absolutely powerless to step in and help.’
A heavily pregnant woman identified as Ruth Nen Maurice has reportedly lost her life in a tragic road accident allegedly caused by a reckless driver attempting to evade officials of the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) in Jos.
The fatal incident occurred on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in the city centre and has sparked grief and outrage among residents.
According to eyewitness accounts, the driver allegedly made a dangerous attempt to escape from VIO operatives before losing control and knocking down the woman, who was reportedly standing by the roadside waiting to board a vehicle to the hospital for an antenatal appointment.
A close friend of the deceased, Ewan Boss Julz Odumu, confirmed the incident in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
He disclosed that Ruth was heavily pregnant with twins and was close to delivery before the tragic accident occurred.
“A mother who was preparing to welcome twins back home never made it alive. Her unborn babies never got the chance to cry, breathe, or see this world because of somebody’s reckless decision,” he wrote.
The heartbreaking incident has triggered emotional reactions online, with many Nigerians calling for stricter traffic enforcement procedures and accountability in the conduct of road operations.
Confirming the development, spokesperson of the Plateau State Police Command, DSP Alfred Alabo, said the driver involved in the accident had been arrested.
He added that investigations into the incident had commenced and that the suspect would be charged to court upon conclusion of the investigation.
The incident has further renewed concerns over reckless driving and the dangers often associated with attempts by motorists to evade law enforcement and traffic officials.
Metro
Police Officer Apologises After Threatening To Shoot Anyone Filming Him On Duty, Says ‘I Spoke Out Of Anger’
Newton Isokpehi, the police officer who sparked outrage online after threatening to shoot anyone caught filming him while on duty, has apologised to Nigerians, saying his comments were made out of frustration.
In a video posted on his TikTok page on Thursday, the officer addressed the controversy generated by his earlier remarks and pleaded for forgiveness from the public and rights activist Harrison Gwamnishu, who had shared the viral clip.
“Please forgive me. If I offended you as a brother, forgive me. That statement was just out of annoyance because of the things that are happening. These things are painful,” he said.
Speaking in Pidgin English, Isokpehi insisted that his comments were misunderstood and clarified that he was not against citizens recording police officers.
“Actually, you can video us. You are allowed to video a policeman. But it’s not right for just anybody to come from anywhere and start videoing officers on duty. They have taken it too far,” he stated.
The officer, who revealed that he is from Edo State and was raised in a police barracks in Kaduna, described himself as a committed officer who has dedicated years to serving the country.
“Anywhere people ask about me, people will testify to my character. I have worked in the Mobile Police for 12 years. I have worked for my fatherland with all my heart,” he said.
As part of his emotional appeal, Isokpehi displayed several gunshot wounds on his body, saying they were sustained during active operations.
“Look at my body, these are all bullets. These are all gunshot wounds. See my chest, the bullet has eaten into it. Out of 17 of us, only two survived that operation,” he said.
“We have suffered in this work. So it was out of annoyance. We don’t even like complaining,” he added.
The policeman also attempted to walk back his earlier threat, insisting he had no intention of harming civilians.
“How can I be saying I will kill my own people? We don’t do that. I spoke out of annoyance. That one was just verbal talk,” he said.
Directly appealing to Gwamnishu and Nigerians, Isokpehi admitted that the backlash had escalated beyond what he expected.
“Harrison, forgive me. I beg the whole of Nigeria, please forgive me. This one has reached too far. If you want to know me, come and meet me one-on-one. You will know me personally. I will not run. I will not surrender,” he said.
He concluded by expressing hope that conditions for police officers would improve under the current Inspector General of Police.
“We have decided that we will die for our fatherland. One day, things will surely get better by the grace of God. One love to the world,” he added.
The apology comes barely 24 hours after a video of the officer threatening to “clear everybody down,” including bystanders near anyone filming him, circulated widely on X and Instagram, triggering criticism and calls for disciplinary action.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Police Force had yet to issue an official statement on the matter.
Troops of the Nigerian Army have arrested 12 suspected kidnappers during clearance operations code-named Operation KO SALO in forests areas of Owan East and Esan South-East Local Government Areas of Edo State.
Kennedy Anyanwu, Assistant Director Army Public Relations who announced this in a statement on Tuesday said the operation was carried out by troops of 4 Brigade, under 2 Division Nigerian Army, in conjunction with the other security agencies and the Edo State Security Corps.
According to the statement, the troops cleared Ugbovbighan Village, Olelo Forest, Egoro Amede Village, and conducted cordon-and-search operations at the Rugan Fulani settlement during which three suspected criminals identified as Ishaya Obadis, aged 20, Markus Ballu, aged 35, and Godknows Owonoji, aged 30, were arrested.
Anyanwu listed items recovered from the suspects who he described as collaborators and logistics suppliers to kidnappers to include two motorcycles and two mobile phones.
He added that the suspects were handed over to the Ekpoma Police Division for further action.
The Army spokesperson said that troops also cleared Ekeke Forest, Ishiolili Village, and Camp Sule Rugan Fulani, all in Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State during which two suspects identified as Bala Mahmood, aged 70, and Ibrahim Abdullahi, aged 25, were arrested.
“Items recovered from them included dangerous weapons and one small Tecno mobile phone. The suspects and recovered items were also handed over to the Ekpoma Police Division for further investigation and prosecution,” Anyanwu said.
He added that at Uwarlor-Oke Forest in Esan North-East Local Government Area, as well as the Udo Government Reserve Forest in Esan South-East Local Government, the troops arrested seven suspected kidnappers namely; Isah Shehu, aged 25, Hamadu Safiyanu, aged 22, Tijani Shehu, aged 24, Yahaya Babangida, aged 25, Usman Hamza, aged 26, Abduladi Saleh, aged 23, and Gadafi Tukur, aged 27.
Anyawu listed items recovered from the suspects to include one motorcycle and two Itel mobile phones. The suspects and recovered items were handed over to the Amendokhian Police Division for further action.
He further revealed that the troops in conjunction with Nigerian Police Force and local vigilantes conducted operations at Emu Forest in Emu, Esan Southeast Local Government Area, Edo State during which they extensively searched Otobo Camp and Nnamdo Camp and recovered one locally made long barrel gun and one motorcycle.
“Recovered items were deposited at Ubiaja Police Division for further action. Troops continue with the ongoing operation aimed at ridding the state of criminal elements,” said Anyawu.
He added that Commander, 4 Brigade Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Ahmed Balogun, commended the troops for their professionalism and charged them to sustain the operational tempo towards dismantling all kidnappers’ hideouts across Edo State.
“He also reassured members of the public of the Brigade’s unwavering commitment to sustaining offensive operations aimed at eradicating kidnapping and protecting lives and property. The Commander urged residents to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies to support ongoing operations.
“He further appreciated the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2 Division, Major General Chinedu Nnebeife for his strategic guidance and support which he said has fostered operational excellence,” Anyawu
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