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EFCC docks fake nurse for alleged N28.2m fraud

Prince Odutola2 months ago2 months ago05 mins

The Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has arraigned one Blessing Amaka David-Agwa, a fake fertility nurse before Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court sitting in Independence Layout, Enugu State. The defendant was arraigned on 45-count charges bordering on fraudulent impersonation, forgery and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N28,278,600.00 (Twenty-eight Million, Two Hundred and Seventy-eight Thousand, Six Hundred Naira). Count 41 of the charge reads: “That you, Blessing Amaka David-Agwa sometime in 2024 in Enugu, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria with intent to defraud, did obtain the total sum of One Million, Six Hundred Thousand Naira (N1,600,000.00) only from one Okenwa Joy Chiamaka, under the pretence of being a Medical Fertility Nurse (Specially trained to assist women get pregnant with ease) which pretext you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act”. Count 24 of the charge reads: “That you, Blessing Amaka David-Agwa sometime in 2024 in Enugu, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria with intent to defraud, did obtain the total sum of One Million, Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N1,250,000.00) from one Amarachi Okpala, under the pretence of being a Medical Fertility Nurse (Specially trained to assist women get pregnant with ease) which pretext you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act”. The defendant pleaded not guilty to all counts when they were read to her. In view of her pleas, counsel to the EFCC, Blessing N. Obasi prayed the court for a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded at the Enugu State Correctional Facility. However, defence counsel, G. C. Madubuegwu informed the court about a pending motion on notice for bail, dated October 4, 2024, and filed on the same date. “It is brought pursuant to Section 162 and 165 (1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ” he said. After moving the said application, he prayed the court to grant the defendant bail on liberal terms. Obasi vehemently opposed the application for bail on the grounds that the allegation against the defendant was a weighty one, citing the mental health of the defendant’s victims. After listening to both sides, Justice Umar adjourned the matter to November 12, 2024, for ruling on the bail application. The defendant was thereafter remanded at the Enugu State Correctional Facility. David-Agwa’s criminal issues commenced on August 28, 2024, when the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA handed her over to the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the EFCC for investigation and possible prosecution after discovering that the defendant paraded herself as a medical fertility Nurse, thereby defrauding unsuspecting victims. Investigation into the matter revealed that the defendant allegedly forged the certificate of Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria and the Certificate of University of Nigeria, Nsukka and used the same in parading herself as a Medical Fertility Nurse, specially trained to assist women in getting pregnant with ease. It was also discovered that the defendant successfully defrauded over 45 innocent women who fell for her false claims.

N110.4bn Fraud: Court orders Yahaya Bello to appear for arraignment

Prince Odutola3 months ago3 months ago02 mins

Justice Maryanne Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT in Maitama, Abuja on October 3, 2024, has issued a public summon against former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Adoza Bello following his absence in a fresh arraignment on 16-count charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Bello, Shuabu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu are facing prosecution bordering on criminal breach of trust, and conspiracy to commit an offence to the tune of N110.4 Billion. Justice Anenih issued the summon in a ruling following an ex parte application by EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN praying the court to grant leave that the defendant be served the charges via substituted means, following his absence in court to answer charges filed against him on September 24, 2024. The court ordered that the charges be served on the defendant at his known residence, No 4, Benghazi Street, Maitama, Abuja, through a public summons to be published in widely circulated national newspapers and also pasted within the premises of the court. The judge granted two separate adjournments: October 24, 2024, and November 14, 2024. The former was for arraignment on the grounds that the defendant will be arrested and brought to court by EFCC and the latter when the 30 days of service elapsed. Bello is also being awaited for arraignment before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja on an 18-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N80.2billion.

Alleged 3.1bn Fraud: How I delivered $15.8m Cash to Suswam in his Residence – Witness

Prince Odutola3 months ago3 months ago08 mins

Abubakar Umar, the Sixth Prosecution Witness, PW6, in the trial of former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam has narrated before the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja and presided over by Justice Peter Lifu how in 2014, he converted the sum of N3.1 billion, wired to him by Suswam as governor and delivered its equivalent of $15.8m in cash to him at his Maitama, Abuja residence. Suswan, alongside his then Commissioner of Finance, Omodachi Okolobia are facing 11-count amended charges of money laundering to the tune of N3.1 billion, being part of the proceeds from the sales of the state government’s shares held on its behalf by the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited, sold through Elixir Securities Limited and Elixir Investment Partners Limited. During the court’s proceedings, the witness, a bureau de change operator and CEO of Fanffash Resources, who has been testifying on the matter since 2018, first, before Justice A.R Mohammed and later Justice Okon Abang, disclosed that the total sum of N3.1 billion was transferred to him by Suswam, through a proxy in tranches with the first tranche of N413 million hitting his account on August 8, 2014 and the remaining, coming in subsequently to sum up to N3.1billion. Umar, while being led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, affirmed that the proxy who did the naira transfers to him was a woman. According to the witness, he had to change a total sum of N3.1billion to dollars, which he said amounted to $15.8 million at the rate of N197 to a dollar and delivered it to Suswam in his Maitama, Abuja residence. “One day in 2014, when I was in the office, the former governor of Benue State asked me to meet him in his house in Maitama, Abuja. I went and met him in the house together with one fair woman. He asked me to give the woman my account number. I gave the woman my Zenith Bank account number. The woman said she’ll send money into that account. “On the 8th of August 2014, N413 million was transferred to my account. Based on this, I called the former governor and he told me to change the money to dollars and I asked him to give me time to do that. Three days after I bought the dollar equivalent, I called the former governor and informed him that the money was ready. He now asked me to take the money to his house in Maitama, near Jumat Mosque. I now told him that he should inform the security at the gate that I was coming, if not they’ll not allow me access into the gate. I took a cab to the house, and after I arrived at the house, I knocked at the gate and they opened. I told them my name. They opened the first and second gates and I sat in the waiting room where he came and met me. I now brought out the money which we both confirmed to be the equivalent of the N413 million. The exchange rate then was N197”, he said Testifying further, he said, “On the 12th of September 2014, N637 million was transferred to my account. After N637million was transferred to my account, after like 40 minutes N363million was also transferred into my account. On 13th October 2014, N630,008,050, (Six Hundred and Thirty Million, Eight Thousand and Fifty Naira) was also transferred to my account. On 17th October 2014 N1,068,000,000 (One Billion, Sixty-eight Million) was transferred to my account. It is the woman that was directed by the former governor to do the transfers. The total money transferred to my account was N3billion”. The witness who stated that he was neither arrested by the EFCC for giving any testimony in favor of the defendant, nor threatened by the Commission to give evidence against the defendant, further disclosed that he did not have receipts for the transactions, so also no record book for them, stating that he buys dollars from his fellow retailers and only records based on discretion. Justice Lifu adjourned the matter till October 4, 2024, for continuation of trial.