The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, May 20, 2014 arraigned Etim James Etim before Justice I.L Ojukwu of a Federal High Court, Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State on a 12-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery and stealing. Specifically, Etim allegedly stole and sold shares valued at N11.655, 000 (Eleven Million, Six Hundred and Fifty- Five Thousand Naira only) belonging to an eighty-five-year old pensioner, Chief Ukim Okon Edem, without his consent. He committed the fraud in connivance with three other accomplices: Okey Godfrey Okebalama, James Oyabolo and Udoh (all at large). When the charges were read to him, he…
Author: Kunle Edun
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, will on May 23, 2014 arraign a business woman, Mary Okoh alias Josephine Williams, for offences bordering on fraud and forgery.Okoh was arrested by the operatives of the Commission following a complaint by Okon Abasi, executive officer, Mutual Alliance Property Development Company Limited.According to Abasi, the suspect obtained the sum of thirty million naira (N30, 000,000.00) from him as loan and gave him a Certificate of Occupancy for her landed property situated at Gwarimpa, Abuja as collateral.The suspect allegedly defaulted in payment of the loan and also sold the property used as collateral…
The duo of Bernard Chukwuma Muoghalu and Anyiam Isabella have been docked before Justice V. N. Agbata of the Anambra State High Court, Onitsha, on a 12-count charge of obtaining money under false pretence.The accused who are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, allegedly conspired and obtained various sums of money totalling N1,800,000.00 (one million, eight hundred thousand naira) from some job seekers with promise of helping them to secure jobs with the Onitsha North Local Government Council.After collecting money from them, the accused persons issued fake employment letters to the applicants and asked them to…
An FCT High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice O. A. Adeniyi on Tuesday May 20, 2014 convicted and sentenced one Mustapha Suleiman to two years imprisonment without an option of fine for issuance of dud cheque. His company, Caliphate Global Investment Limited was fined one hundred thousand naira (N100, 000.00).The convict was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC in 2009 on one count charge of fraud and issuance of dud cheque. He allegedly bought a plot of land from Alhaji Samaila Shehu (now late), for the sum of thirty one million naira (N31, 000,000.00). He paid…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday, May 15th, 2014 arraigned a former staff of Chevron Nigeria Limited, Mr. Michael Adenuga before a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja over a three-count charge of fraudulent conversion and stealing a property worth N5.5billion. Adenuga ran into trouble when he allegedly used his company: Covenant Apartment Limited to convert to himself and company about 22.68hectares of land situated at Aiyetoro Ikota area of Lagos State between September 2011 and February 2014. Besides, he also allegedly forged a Lagos State land sales document claiming that the said land had been sold…
The Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, has again charged Nigerian youths to be disciplined and shun all acts of corruption.Lamorde made the appeal recently during the inauguration of EFCC Integrity Club at Police Secondary School, Ita-Ogbolu, Akure, Ondo State .The Chairman who was represented by the Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Osita Nwajah, said that the Integrity Club was envisioned by the Commission to instil core values of honesty, fairness, responsibility and respect for self, others and citizenship in the minds of young people.According to him the youth needed to imbibe this core values in order to…
Justice O. A. Adeniyi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Friday May 16, 2014 convicted and sentenced one Ebiloma Abdullahi to 12 years imprisonment for forgery and obtaining money by false pretence.The convict was arraigned in November 2009 on a 7-count charge of impersonation, forgery and obtaining money by false pretence. He paraded himself as a student of Federal University of Technology, Minna was said to have assumed the position of the National President of the National Association of Nigeria Student, NANS, and in such capacity paid courtesy visits to Alhaji Isa Yuguda, governor of…
An empty fishing Trawler (FT Opeyemi), operating without a fishing license, belonging to Oshine Resources Venture, with seven crew members on board, was on Friday, May 16, 2014 handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, by the Nigeria Navy Shipyard, Beecroft, in Lagos. Officers of the Nigeria Navy on patrol arrested the Trawler in March 27, 2014. Captain J.N Mamman, Commanding Officer, NNS Beecroft and Lieutenant B.E Enock, Acting Base Operation Officer, NNS Beecroft, handed over the ship and the crew to the EFCC.The seven crew members are: Captain Momodu Ibrahim; Engr. Togbosi Christian; Idowu Tuesday; Benjamin…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC is to arraign the Chief Executive Officer of Globtec Resources Limited, Joseph Idoko, and three others for offences bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence. The other suspects are Mahmud A. Mohammed, Chief Executive, Al-Maqarinaz International Limited, Ikechukwu Nkwoha-Philip and Ibrahim Ali, Chief Executive, Dano Interglobal Marine Services Limited.The suspects were picked up by operatives of the Commission following a complaint by the Chief Executive of Emex Oil Ndawta Ghana Limited, Ismaila Abdulgafar. The complainant alleged that, Idoko and his cohorts, who parade themselves as oil merchants, conspired and fraudulently collected…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC on Thursday May 15, 2014 arraigned Muhammad Ibrahim Sodangi before Justice Darius Haet Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court on a 13-count charge bordering on personation and stealing. Sodangi is alleged to have falsely pretended to be a retired officer/civil servant in the Kaduna State Civil Service and in such assumed character enlisted his name in the pension payroll of Kaduna State Civil Service where he defrauded the state of N66 million (sixty six million naira).The Kaduna State Government had engaged Sodangi as a consultant to undertake the computerization of the Kaduna…
A former Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Anambra State, Prince Okay Aroh and a former banker with United Bank for Africa, Abimbola Oluwaniyi, were on Thursday, May 15, 2014 arraigned before Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja on a 6- count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing, forgery and uttering to the tune of N265million (Two Hundred and Sixty Five Million Naira ). The former Commissioner and his accomplice ran into trouble, when a petitioner wrote to the EFCC alleging that, in 2009, he deposited N265, 000,000.00 (Two Hundred and Sixty Five Million Naira) in a fixed deposit…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, today May 15, 2014 arraigned one Madeline Eyimofe alongside her company, Demoris Environmental Services Limited before Justice R.I. Ahiakwo of the State High Court on one count charge bordering on issuance of a dud cheque.Madeline allegedly issued an Oceanic Bank Cheque No 08816714 for the sum of Six million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N6, 500,000.00) to one Sylvester Igwegbe. The cheque was allegedly returned for lack of sufficient fund when it was presented for payment. She however pleaded not guilty to the charge.In view of her plea, prosecuting counsel, U.R Ewoh asked the…
Justice Adebisi Akinlade of a Lagos State High Court, sitting in Igbosere on Thursday, May 15, 2014 issued a bench warrant on Oluwaseun Ogunbambo, who is standing trial in a case of forgery and obtaining N610million by false pretence.Counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, informed the court about the continued absence of Ogunbambo from court in three previous sessions. He reminded the court that Ogunbambo’s counsel, at the last court session, promised to bring him to court but failed to fulfil his promise. He prayed the court to issue a bench warrant on him.However, Ogunbambo’s counsel, Mobolaji Akintunde prayed the…
Six years after Justice Marcel Awokulehin sensationally struck out all 170-count charge of money laundering preferred against former governor of Delta State, James Onanefe Ibori by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, a three-man panel of justices at the Benin Division of the Court of Appeal today, May 15, 2014 ruled that the ex- governor who is currently serving a 13-year jail term in a London prison, has a case to answer. The unanimous decision of court setting aside the infamous ruling of Justice Awokulehin was delivered by Justice Ibrahim Saulawa and was supported by Justices P. M Ekpe…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has tasked the media to continue to support its efforts at fighting Economic and Financial Crimes in Nigeria. Ibrahim Lamorde, Executive Chairman of the Commission gave the charge May 12 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, while welcoming participants to a workshop on “Effective Reporting of Economic and Financial Crimes’’, organized by the agency for journalists reporting its activities in the six states of the South-South region. The EFCC boss who spoke through Osita Nwajah, Deputy Director, Public Affairs, acknowledged the contributions of the media to the fight against corruption but noted there was room…
Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos was on Wednesday, May 14, 2014 told that a prosecution witness in the trial of a former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode was hostile and should be pronounced so by the court. Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Festus Keyamo, told the court that, the witness, Mr. Ojo Agbor was hostile to him and gave contradictory testimony in court. At the resumed hearing of the case on Wednesday, Keyamo presented Agbor before the court as a prosecution witness. Initially, Agbor told the EFCC that, Fani-Kayode, at various…
The Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base (FOB), Bonny Naval base, Port Harcourt on Tuesday May 12, 2014 handed over 11 suspected oil thieves and a metal barge (Henry 2) loaded with about 230 metric tons of substance suspected to be crude oil to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for further investigation and prosecution. The suspects were arrested at the Bonny water ways on April 22, 2014. They include: Daniel Ojokparoghene, Henry Mangibo, John Atobere, Ben Lawson, God’s Strength Samson and Jacob Abagidi. Others are: Tamunoi Yawuna Genesis, David Ben, Frank James, Gabriel Lucky and Danlami AwutaThe Commanding Officer,…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC on Tuesday May 13, 2014 arraigned Daniel Solomon and Adams Paul before Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the Federal High Court Kaduna on 6-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, counterfeiting, conspiracy and cheating. The accused persons are alleged to have hoodwinked one Boniface Chukwu into parting with various sums of money amounting to N12.5 million under the pretense of doubling the said money. One of the charge reads, “that you Daniel Solomon, Adamu Admas Paul (AKA Paul Waje) and Sani (now at large) between 1st January, 2010 to 23rd May, 2012 in…
The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU has received special commendation for its commitment to the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.The commendation was the highpoint of deliberations at the 21 plenary session of the Inter Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering, GIABA, in Niamey, Niger Republic, where Nigeria was rated first among 16 member states for the FIU’s compliance with the FATF 40 + 9 Recommendations using the Mutual Evaluation Reports, MERs, and Follow-up Reports sent to the FATF. This accolade contradicts publication in section of the media alleging that the NFIU had been frozen out of the comity…
A Federal High Court sitting in Yenegoa, Balyesa State has convicted three Indian nationals, Sailesh Kumar Singh, (the Captain of the vessel), Chadrashekar Sharma and Ajay Bhatiya, owner of the vessel MT Akshay, (still at large) to fifteen years imprisonment for offenses that borders on oil theft. The convicts were among twelve suspected oil thieves, including eight other Indians, one Ghanaian and a Nigerian arrested aboard MT Akshay by men of the Joint Task Force, Central Naval Command, Yenegoa sometimes November, 2012 and handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for further investigation and prosecution. They were arraigned…