SANDRA MGBEKE DURU: THE FRAUDSTER IN A FEDERAL WITNESS BOX AND THE NIGERIAN COAT OF ARMS
While Nigerians watch, a fraudster’s selfies in diplomatic cars expose the rot at the heart of justice. Who pays for this farce, and why is the system so blind?
There are moments in national affairs when a single image reveals far more than a thousand official press statements ever could. One such moment has arrived, and it comes in the form of a seemingly casual photograph of a woman who has long lurked at the edge of controversy. In the image, Sandra Duru, aka Prof. Mgbeke, a person with no known government portfolio or legitimate public office, is seated comfortably inside a vehicle whose leather seats bear the majestic embroidery of the Nigerian Coat of Arms. This car does not belong to the common class of official convoys one finds speeding through Abuja or Lagos. In Nigeria, even the Senate President himself, who ranks as the third most powerful man in the country, does not parade in a car bearing such exaggerated embroidery of state identity within the borders of the Republic. It is a configuration that exists almost exclusively in diplomatic fleets stationed abroad, particularly in the United Kingdom, where Nigerian embassies and state envoys operate under special arrangements. This now forces an urgent question into public discourse: how did Sandra Duru, the Mgbeke impostor professor, a woman with no formal government ties, gain access to such a vehicle and under what capacity was she allowed to take a selfie as though she had earned her way into the state machinery?
When one considers the available facts and applies reason, only one logical conclusion can be drawn. Sandra was not alone in that car; she was there as a guest, a guest of someone powerful enough to authorise such access, someone who could activate the privileges of the Nigerian state even on foreign soil. The signs point directly in one direction. If Sandra is inside a vehicle reserved only for top ranking Nigerian diplomats abroad, and she has no office, no appointment, and no legal authority to be there, then her host must be a senior political figure. Since the individual currently under public scrutiny for orchestrating a federal assault on Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President, then it becomes difficult for any intelligent observer to separate this coincidence from conspiracy. That person, as increasingly obvious, is the Senate President, Akpabio. The connection is no longer speculative, but evident that Sandra Duru is not just acting as a private citizen. She is on assignment, and she is being used as a political missile, whose target is Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The picture is not just a harmless selfie. It is a plot in a larger political fabric; a scandal that now seems to have international coordinates, questionable funding, and a desperate mission.
It becomes more worrisome when we turn our attention from the vehicle to the woman inside it. For more than ten years, Sandra Duru has made herself a familiar figure in the scene of digital deception, blackmail-for-hire, online impersonation, and emotional manipulation. She has neither a business nor a job nor a ministry, yet she maintains a lifestyle that suggests deep pockets and unrestricted access. Since 2020, numerous whistleblowers and digital investigators have accused her of cloning voices and images, generating false media content to defame individuals, and creating fabricated evidence to support blackmail operations. Several victims, some of whom have remained anonymous out of fear, have traced back voice notes, photos, and online conversations to her digital activities. She operates not as a witness to truth, but as a fabricator of lies. Her Facebook posts are riddled with suspiciously filtered images and AI styled captions which, when studied, appear manufactured for targeted manipulation. There is no real content, only decoration. Except that this same woman is now being presented in court as a credible witness in a federal case concerning the alleged attempted assassination of a serving Senator of the Federal Republic?
The law does not permit courts to admit every passerby into the box of testimony. A witness must be credible. The credibility of a witness is not decided by who they know, who sponsors them, or who smuggled them into diplomatic vehicles in foreign lands. Credibility is established through a proven track record of truthfulness, personal integrity, and demonstrable neutrality. Sandra Duru fails every single one of these tests. She is not a bystander, but a character with an interest, a tool in the hands of those who seek to cover the sun with their bare fingers. She is the smiling face of institutional mischief, armed with technology and a deep understanding of how to bend public perception through AI generated lies and voice altered propaganda. In a country already drowning in manufactured narratives and distorted realities, this is not the type of person who should be anywhere near a court of law, let alone standing in as a Federal Government witness in a case of this magnitude.
It would be laughable if it were not so dangerous. The legal principle behind the admission of a witness demands credibility, integrity, and a history that can withstand scrutiny. Sandra has none of these.
The question then arises… Who conducted the background check on her? Who examined her history? Who verified her testimonies and digital history before presenting her in such a high profile matter? Nigeria is not a circus. Court proceedings are not games of guesswork. If this country still holds on to any shreds of legal integrity, then it is time someone within the judicial system asks how a digital fraudster, known for manipulating images and cloning voices, ended up as a federal witness. This is not only a judicial compromise, but a national humiliation. While Sandra posts AI filtered photographs of herself and voice cloned audio files online, a woman who has invested her life in development work, Senator Natasha, is being dragged into legal battles built on forgeries, fiction, and sponsored intimidation.
Let us not forget the case of Susie Wiles in the United States. She was nearly destroyed by a cloned voice note that was so perfect, even her closest allies doubted her innocence. The audio was spread with perfection and the accusation was so loud; but because America has a functioning justice system, digital forensic experts stepped in. They exposed the fraud and cleared her name. Today, the American government is debating a total ban or restriction on the use of such tools because of their capacity to destroy institutions and individuals alike. In Nigeria, however, a known manipulator whose entire identity is built around the misuse of AI is being treated as a federal informant. It is a slap in the face of our judiciary and a danger to every upright citizen who believes in truth and lawful governance.
Sandra Duru is not the victim of manipulation, but the master of it. She is a paid agent in a political game meant to destroy a woman who has refused to apologize for her truth before corrupt men.
What is playing out before our eyes is a carefully choreographed plot to silence one of the most courageous voices in modern Nigerian politics. Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is not just being targeted; she is being hunted. Her suspension from the Senate, her media attacks, the sabotage of her legacy projects, and now the fabrication of evidence through voice cloning mercenaries like Scamdra is not coincidence, but deliberate, sponsored, and it must be exposed. Sandra Duru, a voice cloning fraud with a dark series of dishonour, is not only their final insult, but they are using her as the main witness in a federal attack against Senator Natasha. This is the abuse of state power; cowardice masquerading as legality. It is a disgrace to the honour of the courts, and if the judiciary continues down this path, history will not forget.
Nigerians do not forget, and if this country will survive the coming decades with any respect in the comity of nations, then the truth must be defended while there is still time. The law must draw a line between justice and sponsored falsehood. Let Sandra Duru return to where she belongs: the home of scandal, not the centre of the courtroom.
By: ILUO DePOET
Lawyer | Public Speaker | Political Analyst | Author | Pan-African