The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission today re-arraigned the trio of Waheed Omotayo (alias Badmus Mustapha), Giwa Tunde Abiodun and Aghama Peter before Justice Othman A. Musa of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja.The accused persons were arraigned on an eight count charge bordering on forgery. They allegedly forged various documents including; Egyptian Entry Visa, International passports, First Bank statements of account and certificate of marriage in the name of one Badmus Mustapha. They pleaded not guilty to the charge. Prosecution counsel Cosmas Ugwu consequently asked for a trial date, while defence counsel Usman Kabir representing the first…
Author: Kunle Edun
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, today June 24, 2015 arraigned one Joseph Onoja Gabriel before Justice Lawal Akapo of the Lagos State High Court Ikeja on a 4-count charge bordering on conspiracy to defraud, personation, forgery and using false document.Gabriel was arrested by the operatives of the EFCC sometime in 2014 following a petition that he impersonated Gabriel Suswan (the immediate past governor of Benue State). He had attempted to extort money from some foreigners under the pretence of giving them contracts. Aside from that, the accused also procured a fake International passport bearing the name of the …
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday June 22, 2015 arraigned one Ifeanyi Ozoh before Justice B. O Quadri of the Federal High Court, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State on a two count charge bordering on fraud.Ozoh pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against him The accused persons allegedly collected various sums of money from one Nwachukwu Pleasure on the pretext that the money would be used to procure an Arik Airline ticket to Lagos to enable the victim attend a job interview with the airline. The petitioner alleged that he received a call from the accused, who introduced himself…
The ongoing trial of the seven persons complicit in the N24billion fraud in the police pension office could not proceed today owing to various excuses by counsel representing some of the accused persons.Justice Husseini Baba Yusuf had at the last adjourned date, April 22, 2015, fixed June 23 for hearing of the motion by the prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, seeking to slit the charge against Esai Dangabar and other accused persons (Atiku Abubakar Kigo, Ahmed Inuwa Wada, Veronica Ulonma Onyegbula, Sani Habila Zira, Uzoma Cyril Attang and Christian Madubuke). He told the court that the case had been dragging…
Justice Lawal Akapo of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja on Monday June 22, 2015, convicted and sentenced one Emmanuel Osita (a.k.a Chuks) to three years imprisonment on a two count charge of obtaining money by false pretence.The convict was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, sequel to a petition from a legal practitioner on behalf of one Mrs. Veronica Okonkwo, an eighty-one (81) year-old woman who was the victim. The convicts while operating as a commercial tri-cyclist conspired with other persons who are still at large and falsely represented to the victim that they had the capacity…
Justice Olayinka Faji of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, on Friday, June 19 refused the bail application of 10 persons standing trial for the CBN currency scam. Those denied bail are: Kolawole Babalola, Olaniran M. Adeola and Toogun Kayode Philips (all ex CBN Staff).Others who are staff of First Bank include, Isiaq Akano, Ayodele Festus, Oyebanji Akeem, Ayodeji Aleshe and Ajiwe Sunday. The rest are Oni Ademola and Afolabi Esther Olunike, both staff of Wema Bank. Justice Faji refused to admit the accused persons to bail despite the argument canvassed by their counsel that they will be available to face…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on June 18, 2015 arraigned Wilson Eguridu, before an FCT High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on charges bordering on forgery, contrary to the provisions of Sections 362 and 366 of the Penal Code.Eguridu, who is said to be a board member of the FCT Karate Association, is alleged to have forged an “Introduction Letter” to the British High Commission, as part of documents for the processing of visas for 14 persons, for a UK karate competition that was scheduled to take place in Dudley, in September 2014. Upon receipt of a petition from the…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday June 18 ,2015 arraigned three persons before Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos on a three count charge bordering on conspiracy and intent to defraud. The three accused person: Elder Christopher Andrew Isibor, Earth Petroleum Development Limited and David A. O. Akhigbe are alleged to have conspired among themselves, hijacked a vessel, MT Sollueshing, and used it to convey 1, 670, 00 metric tons of Low Pour Fuel Oil(LPFO) which they stole from Nigeria and sold it to a Ghanaian Marketer, Auxesia Energy Limited. The offence is contrary to…
Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, has told 14 foreigners, arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for illegal oil bunkering, that they have a case to answer and should be ready to face trial.This fact was stressed on Thursday when the court dismissed an application filed before it by the foreigners, seeking to quash a 4-count charge preferred against them and for the court to strike out the matter entirely, on the basis that the prosecution did not secure and obtain a written consent of the Attorney- General of the Federation and…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, today June 18, arraigned Nine foreigners and one vessel alleged to be involved in illegal oil bunkering before Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos on a 4-count charge bordering on conspiracy and illegal dealing in petroleum products.The accused persons comprising five Bangladeshi and four Filipinos are Axel Joseph Gibo Jabone, MD Zahirul Islam, Juanto Camireno Infantado, Suarin Fernando Alave, Gatila Jaypee Gadayan, Islam Shahinul; Islam Rafiqul, Shaikh Shibli Nomany and Rolando Jose Comendador. The vessel is MT Asteris. The vessel and its crew were intercepted by Nigerian Navy Ship Beecroft…
Justice Rita Ofili Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State, has deferred judgment in the case of a former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, till July 1, 2015. She told the court on Thursday that she could not deliver judgment in the case, as earlier scheduled, owing to the absence of the lead prosecution counsel, Mr. Festus Keyamo, in court. “It is proper for the entire parties to be around for the judgment, I feel this is the right thing to do… it is better to have everyone present for the judgment”, she said. Fani- Kayode is…
Justice U. N Agomoh, of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Wednesday, June 16, 2015 sentenced Anthony Ideozuto to two years imprisonment with an option of fine in the sum of N500, 000 for failing to produce an accused person.Ideozu, who stood as one of the sureties for one, Chima Ojadi, could not produce him for trial having jumped bail. Ojadi was being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a nine count amended charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N17, 000,000. Having failed to produce…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, June 15, 2015, secured the conviction of one Sani Usman Danbulbuli, who was brought before Justice Samaila Haruna of the Kebbi State High Court, Kebbi State, on two-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence. The convict was alleged to have collected the sum of N150,000( One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) in cash and bank deposits, at different times, from his victim, Usman Sani Isah, whom he promised to secure employment with the Nigeria Customs Service in 2011. Danbulbuli, however, could not secure the victim the job as promised…
Justice J.T. Tsoho of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State, on Monday June 15, 2015, vacated the restraining order issued on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, preventing it from arresting and prosecuting Chairman of Bi- Courtney Highways Services, Mr. Wale Babalakin.In a ruling delivered on Monday, Justice Tsoho said that the ex-parte order granted Babalakin was intended as a brief intervention to prevent injury and not meant to last a long time. He explained that the order had outlived its lifespan and was no longer valid. ” If the applicants had filed their application early, the…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday June 15, 2015, arraigned Ebiechina Chikeluba ( aka Lisa T. Jackson) before Justice O. A Ipaye of the High Court of Lagos State, Ikeja on a 17-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, personation, forgery and using false document. Chikeluba who met his victim on Facebook using the false identity of, Lisa T. Jackson, a United States citizen, has been making monetary demands of his victims, using varies guises. In one such instance in March 2013, he obtained a total sum of £54,324.59 (Fifty Four Thousand, Three Hundred and…
Justice Nathaniel Ayo Emmanuel of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ibadan, today 15 June, 2015 dismissed the bail application brought by six former staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.The accused persons: Patience Okoro Eye, Afolabi Olufemi Johnson, Ilori Adekunle Sunday Kolawole Babalola, Olaniran Muniru Adeola and Fatai Adedokun Yusuf, are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for over N8billion mutilated currency recycling fraud. Justice Emmanuel in dismissing their application for bail, stated that the interest of the accused must not only be considered while looking at their application but that of the common…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, today, June 12, 2015 filed fresh corruption charges against a former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, at the Federal High Court, Abuja.Sylva is charged alongside Francis Okokuro, Gbenga Balogun, and Samuel Ogbuku,. They allegedly used three companies – Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited, and Haloween-Blue Construction and Logistics Limited to move about N19.2 billion from Bayelsa State coffers between 2009 and 2012, under false pretence of using the withdrawn money to augment salaries of the state government workers. The action of the anti-graft agency comes two days after Justice A.…
A suspected fraudster, Emeofa Michael Ikechukwu, alias Michael Briggs, was on Thursday, June 11, 2015, re-arraigned before Justice I.E Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, Rivers State by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.The suspect, who had earlier been arraigned on March 10, 2015 before Justice H.A. Nganjiwa, is being prosecuted on a nine-count charge bordering on impersonation, forgery and obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of over $127,000 Ikechukwu had allegedly obtained the money from his Swiss girlfriend, Misepasi, whom he met on a dating site in February 2013, after tricking her to invest in…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on June 11, 2015, secured the conviction of Usman Salisu Umar, who was brought before Justice Dije Aboki of the Kano State High Court, on three count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and forgery.Umar was arrested in 2013 by operatives of the EFCC following a petition received from Alhaji Jibrin Umar, who alleged that sometimes in May 2013, Umar sold his landed property at Plot 1258 located at Kawaji Quarters, Kano, without his authorisation. The convict was alleged to have impersonated the son of the petitioner and sold the land to…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, June 10, 2015 re-arraigned Dr. Sani Shuaibu Teidi, former director of Pension Accounts, Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation before Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja .Teidi was docked alongside one Udusegbe Eric Omoefe also known as Otega Akpotehiri, and their companies: Gozinda Enterprises, Bashinta Nigeria Limited, Haleath Enterprises, Uthatak Nigeria Limited, Krasiva Nigeria Limited, Badawulu Ventures Limited, Ebunu Attah Investment, Muha Millennium Motors Limited and Riba-ile Petroleum Limited, on a 21-count charge of failure to declare assets, obtaining by false pretence, conspiracy and…