Desmond Nunugwo, a suspect under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) died on June 10 few hours after he was taken into custody. His demise was confirmed at the hospital where he was rushed after he suddenly took ill. Late Nunugwu allegedly fraudulently obtained N91million from an acquaintance after he tricked her into believing that he had high net worth business associates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates who were at the verge of buying Nicon Insurance and convinced her of their disposition to help her stock fish business. Consequently, she wired N91m into Nunugwo’s nominated account (Mainagge General Merchants)…
Author: Kunle Edun
Signor Kanu was on June 9 arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice A. O. Otaluka of the FCT High Court sitting in Lugbe, Abuja on one count charge of fraud. Kanu was alleged to have defrauded one Stanley Ojigbo to the tune of N9.8million for a non-existent contract. After several months of waiting and the accused could neither deliver on his promise nor refund the money, the complainant decided to petition the EFCC. The charge reads: “That you, Signor Kanu on or about the 25th of March 2011, in Abuja within the Jurisdiction of this…
A banker, Olawale Garuba was sentenced to 39-year imprisonment on June 9 by Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of the Lagos State High Court. The banker was convicted for stealing from the dead. The convict was arraigned alongside six others in July 2015 for conspiring among themselves to steal over N30,000,000 (Thirty Million Naira) from the bank account a deceased customer of a new generation bank where the convict works.The fraud was uncovered by the bank when they discovered that some of their staff, including the convict had connived with proxies steal from a dormant account of one of the bank’s customers.…
One Abdullahi Adamu Usman (aka Dan China) alongside his company, Solid Unit Nigeria Limited was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on June 9 before Justice Yakubu Dakwak of the High Court of Plateau State (Court 2), Jos, Plateau State, on a two-count amended charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N23,431,000.00 (Twenty-three Million, Four Hundred and Thirty-one Thousand Naira). The accused, who claimed to own a functional mining site, allegedly obtained the money from the complainant, Olajide Olaleye, Managing Director, TTMW Services Nigeria Limited, for the supply of Iron…
Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court Abuja commenced the trial of a former Interior Minister, Abba Moro on June 8 with the presentation of the first prosecution witness, David Shikfu Paradang by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Moro is being prosecuted alongside three others on an 11-count charge bordering on procurement fraud and money laundering. The other accused persons are: one-time permanent secretary in the ministry, Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia, a deputy director in the ministry, F. O Alayebami, one Mahmood Ahmadu (at large), and the contracting firm that was given the recruitment job, Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited.…
The duo of James Ogwuche Alex and Oklewu Ene Gina was arraigned on June 7 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice B.O Quadri of the Federal High Court,Port Harcourt, Rivers State on a 2-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira only (N250,000). The petitioner, Professor Ndubuisi Eke alleged that the suspects who are both students of Benue State Polytechnic hoodwinked him through an e-mail from a purported old friend by name Engineer Bartholomew requesting him to pay Two hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N250,000).to…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday presented its first witness (PW1), Robert Mathew against a former Assistant Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Fire Service, Dada Olatunji, who is being tried for offences bordering on employment scam before Justice M. M. Kolo of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Wuse Zone 2, Abuja. Olatunji was arraigned on May 19, 2016 for allegedly defrauding two young job seekers – Robert Mathew and Theresa Abah to the tune of N575,000 (five hundred and seventy five thousand naira) under the pretext of getting them employments into the Nigerian Fire Service. The offence is…
A witness in the ongoing trial of Abdulsalam Ibrahim, Executive Director, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) on Tuesday, June 7 informed the Federal High Court Lagos how the sixth defendant Bola Akinribido and the second defendant Segun Agbolade connived and diverted the sum of N855,000,000.95 (Eight Hundred and Fifty Five Million, Ninety Five Kobo) property of NAMA. At the last adjourned date, the witness Babatunde Adelekan had disclosed that between August 2013 and September 2015 there was an inflow of N837,221,137 (Eight Hundred and Thirty Seven Million, Two Hundred and Twenty One Thousand, One Hundred and Thirty Seven Naira Only)…
The Federal High Court, Abuja ruling on Tuesday, June 7 presided over by Justice Nnamdi O. Dimgba has ordered the remand of Azibaola Robert, a cousin of the immediate past president Goodluck Jonathan in Kuje Prison pending the determination of his bail application. Azibaola and his wife, Stella, were arraigned alongside their company, One Plus Holding Limited on a seven 7-count charge bordering on money laundering, criminal breach of trust and corruption by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The couple were alleged to have diverted $40million (forty million US dollars) purportedly meant for the supply of tactical communication kits for…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) who presented its tenth witness during the trial on June 6, has closed its case against former governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye. Dariye is being prosecuted by the EFCC, on charges bordering on money laundering and diversion of funds before Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), High Court, Gudu, Abuja. He is alleged to have siphoned the state’s ecological fund to the tune of N1.16 billion. The witness, Kawu Mohammed, an operative at the EFCC’s Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section, told the court that the unit, which was created in 2009,…
On Monday June 6, Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja disqualified himself from presiding over the trial of Gabriel Suswan, former Governor of Benue State and his Finance Commissioner, Okolobia Okpanachi. Suswan and his co-accused are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), before the judge on a 9-count charge bordering on conspiracy, abuse of office and diversion of state funds to the tune N3.1 billion. At the resumed trial today, Justice Mohammed drew the court’s attention to an online publication purportedly on “Sahara Reporters” last week to the effect that the first…
The duo of John Elijah Edet and Jeffery Ulu Orji was on June 6 arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice U.N Agomoh of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, Rivers State on an 8-count charge of internet fraud and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of Two Thousand, Nine Hundred and Seventy Four US Dollars ($2,974). The accused persons were apprehended following an intelligence report on their alleged fraudulent escapades. Upon their arrest, various scam mails were printed from their laptops which they use in defrauding unsuspecting victims. One of the count reads: “that you…
The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu has vowed to ensure that there is transparency and accountability in the use of the resources meant for internally displaced persons in Maiduguri, Borno State and elsewhere in the country. He made the declaration Thursday in Maiduguri while speaking at the newly reopened Zonal office of the Commission. The EFCC boss expressed worry about complaints of corruption in IDP Camps, coming from International humanitarian organizations and other civil society organizations that are helping the distressed victims of the Boko Haram insurgency in the city and beyond. “We…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) today arraigned Air Vice Marshall Olutayo Tade Oguntoyinbo before Justice Olukayode A. Adeniyi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Apo, Abuja on one count charge of bribery to the tune of N166million (one hundred and sixty-six million naira). Allegedly, AVM Oguntoyinbo while being the Chief of Training and Operations of the Nigerian Air Force collected the sum of N166m (one hundred and sixty-six million naira) as gratification from a contractor with the Nigerian Air force, Societe D’ Equipments Internationaux Nigeria Limited. The act contravenes Section 17(a) of the Independent Corrupt…
Imo Efiong Akpan, a lawyer was arraigned on Wednesday, June 1 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Ifiok Ukana of the State High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on a 2- count charge bordering on stealing and obtaining money by false pretense to the tune of Forty Million Naira. The petitioner alleged that the suspect, Barrister Akpan sold a filing station (Tripple Tower Petroleum Resources) to him for Twenty million Naira, which he paid in two installments. He further stated that after several months, he found out that the owner of the property whom…
More documentary evidence were yesterday presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to further back up its claim against former Jigawa governor, Sule Lamido for allegedly defrauding the state to the tune of N1.35billion. Lamido and his accomplices are being prosecuted on a 27-count charge by the EFCC before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja. He allegedly abused his position as governor between 2007 and 2015 by awarding contracts to companies where he had interest, using his two sons as fronts. At the resumed trial today, PW18, Micheal Wetkas, an operative of the…
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday opened trial with two witnesses (Umar Dalhatu and Abdulkadir Saidu) in a case of alleged bribery involving Abumere Joseph Osagie, a former deputy director, Federal Inland Revenue (FIRS) and one Jamila Ojora before Justice O. O. Goodluck of the FCT High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja. Dalhatu and Saidu while being led in evidence by counsel to EFCC, Joseph Uzor, as PW1 and PW2 respectively gave detailed account of how the accused persons conspired to obtain a sum of N5million as gratification from the Pro-chancellor, Base University, Senator Datti Ahmed. The accused…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday, May 31 tendered a myriad of documentary evidence before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to further establish its claim on how the former Jigawa Governor, Sule Lamido and his cohorts defrauded the State. Lamido is being prosecuted alongside his two sons: Aminu and Mustapha and two others on a 27-count charge bordering on abuse of office and money laundering. The other two on trial are; Bamaina Holdings Ltd and Speeds International Limited. With prosecution witness, PW 18, Micheal Wetkas, in the witness box, counsel to EFCC,…
Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, has charged Nigerians to imbibe the culture of ‘living with clean hands’ as a way of stamping out corruption from the society. Magu, who stated that the job of EFCC entails confronting looters of the nation’s commonwealth, taking on impunity and restoring hope to the hopeless, said the Commission had been reshaping the face of law enforcement in Nigeria in the past 13 years. In his welcome address titled “We Must Win The War on Corruption and Impunity” during the launch of EFCC Clean Hands Campaign on Thursday, May…
An alleged fraudster, Fred Ajudua, has been re-arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice K.A Jose of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja on Thursday May 26, 2016 on a 28-count charge of offences bordering on conspiracy and obtaining by false pretense. The offense is contrary to Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 13 of 1995 as amended by Act No. 62 of 1999. One of the charges reads, “That you, Fred Chijindu Ajudua, Alumile Adedeji a.k.a Ade Bendel (still at large), Mr. Jonathan (still…