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 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5325490.stm

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 ...

Resources

• BBC: Nigeria widows lose their fortune.
• EFCC seizes N7bn assets of INEC dead director.
• Nigerians in America: What kind of greed is this?