Nigerian King who Harry called his ‘in-law’ is ‘CONMAN jailed and deported after trying to cash stolen £247k cheque’
A NIGERIAN King who Prince Harry called his “in-law” is reportedly a conman and has been deported from the US twice.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a three-day visit to Nigeria last weekend.
The Sussexes kicked off their “faux-Royal tour” with a visit to Lightway Academy, a primary and secondary school in the capital.
They then went to Nigeria’s defence HQ on Friday to meet military wives and senior officials.
The following day Harry was snapped playing volleyball, before Meghan referred to Nigeria as “my country”.
During their visit, the pair also met with the kings of four different states in Lagos on Sunday.
Among them was the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi of Osun State.
'FAUX-ROYAL TOUR'
PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle are desperately trying to be rivals to the royal family to save their image, a royal expert has claimed.
Gareth Russell says he believes “an alternative royal family is emerging”.
Speaking on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show with Matt Wilkinson, he said: “To all intents and purposes that is a real possibility.
“The problem for the Sussexes is that once you start doing anything like that, people become a lot more critical of what you do outside that – like commercial endeavours or quasi-royal tours.
“People will put them under more of a microscope because they’re calling it ‘The Office of Harry and Meghan’.
“It’s interesting. I wonder is it part of a plan to pivot from some harsh headlines they’ve had in the last year or two?
“Is it maybe a slightly more social conservative direction and have themselves as royals in exile for want of a better word?
“I wonder is that them acting on advice that people don’t want to hear them criticising the royal family.”
Mr Russell now believes Harry and Meghan could be plotting more “faux-royal tours” – including of the US.
He explained: “Their popularity at the moment is pretty low in America but that could change.
“Public opinion is always a bit of a rollarcoaster.
“But they absolutely could (go on a US tour) and there’s indications that they will.”
The 56-year-old, known as the “Funky King”, presented the Sussexes with several gifts and said to Meghan: “Thank God you are one of us.”
He also gave the Duchess, 42, the Yoruba name Adetokunbo – meaning “royalty from across the seas”.
His wife Queen Firdaus posed for a photo with Meghan and later posted on her Instagram account.
Akanbi, who drives a canary yellow McLaren supercar, was also pictured shaking hands with the Duke of Sussex, 39.
But the Nigerian royal is a convicted fraudster who was twice kicked out of America, according to the Mail on Sunday.
He was allegedly first arrested in Boston in 1998 after he tried to cash a stolen cheque for £247,000 from aviation company Boeing.
Akanbi posed as a successful businessman called Joseph Pigott but cops were alerted by a suspicious bank teller at BankBoston.
The conman was also charged for forging a cheque for £59,000 using the name Thomas Eyring.
He was reportedly jailed for 15 months and deported to Nigeria in April 1999.
His £1,500 fine was waived ‘”because of an inability to pay'”, the Mail reported.
Despite being banned from re-entering the US, he was then said to have been caught attempting to cross the border in March 2011.
Akanbi was with his then-wife Rakiya Saidu and young son and claimed they were going to New York to shop.
Facing the prospect of a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a £197,000 fine, Akanbi pleaded guilty.
He was sentenced to time served, deported and banned from the US for life for a second time.
It is not suggested that Harry and Meghan knew of Akanbi’s background.
The Sun has contacted the Sussexes for comment.
HEIR OF CONFUSION
The Duke of Sussex accepted the Living Legend of Aviation award at a ceremony hosted by John Travolta in Beverly Hills, California.
At the ceremony, Harry was seen beaming in a selfie alongside Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe at the Beverly Hills Hilton.
But it has been revealed that the Prince’s right to use that title is hotly contested, according to The Mail On Sunday.
Mario-Max, 46, has been accused of “harvesting the family name” with the Duke of Sussex warned to stay away from him.
The head of the family, Prince Alexander of Schaumburg-Lippe, told The Mail on Sunday: “It’s very painful for me, this guy has been harvesting our name for his personal gain.
“Prince Harry cannot stoop lower than appearing with him. I would advise him to stay away from this man.”
Mario-Max – who claims he has the right to use the royal title after he was adopted by a member of the Schaumburg-Lippe family – has been dubbed “the King of Trash TV” in the German Press.
He gained his reputation after appearing on the local version of Big Brother, and hawking products on shopping channels including a so-called “wealth elixir”.
It comes as their Archewell Foundation is no longer listed as “delinquent” by California’s Registry of Charities and Fundraisers.
On Monday the charity was listed as “delinquent” and a delinquency notice letter was sent to the foundation on May 3 for “failing to submit required annual report(s) and/or renewal fees”.
But on Tuesday the status of Archewell Foundation had been changed to “current”.
The letter had warned that an organisation listed as delinquent is banned from “soliciting or disbursing charitable funds” and “its registration may be suspended or revoked by the registry”.
On Tuesday, a statement from California‘s Department of Justice said the Archewell Foundation is “current and in good standing”.
A spokesperson for California’s Department of Justice said: “After being in touch with our Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, the organisation is current and in good standing.”
It is understood the issue arose from a payment which was thought to have been sent but was said to have not been received.
However, new records show the required payment was sent last year and was delivered on schedule.
The Archewell Foundation said after investigating that it found payments were made “promptly” and all paperwork was filed “without error or wrongdoing”.
A spokesperson for the Archewell Foundation said: “We have diligently investigated the situation and can confirm that the Archewell Foundation remains fully compliant and in good standing.
“Due payments were made promptly and in accordance with the IRS’s processes and procedures.
“Furthermore, all necessary paperwork had been filed by the foundation without error or wrongdoing.”
The highlights of the trip to Nigeria
THE Sussexes touched down in the capital Abuja on Friday morning to promote the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada.
They began their “faux-Royal tour” with a visit to Lightway Academy, a primary and secondary school in the capital.
On Saturday, Harry showed off his competitive side at an Invictus Games sitting volleyball event.
At a charity event that night, Harry and Meghan were pictured standing for God Save The King.
It came as the pair visited Nigeria’s defence HQ on Friday to meet military wives and senior officials.
He later visited a military hospital in war torn Kaduna, around 200km north of Abuja.
The region has seen horrific fighting between nomadic Fulani herdsman and farmers, as well as an insurgency by Boko Haram Islamists.
Meghan referred to Nigeria as ‘my country’ while co-hosting an event for Women in Leadership.