Metro
EFCC re-arraigns don for alleged N1.4bn fraud
A professor, Uche Chigozie, who allegedly defrauded the Maize Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, was on Thursday re-arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission before a Federal High Court in Lagos, for N1.47bn money laundering.
Chigozie, who was arraigned alongside three companies, Visionary Integrated Consulting Ltd, Nemad Associates Ltd. and Revamp Global Enterprises, is facing 11 counts bordering on conspiracy, fraud, stealing, and money laundering, preferred against him by the EFCC.
He was first arraigned in August 2023, before Justice Nicholas Oweibo, and had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Justice Oweibo was, however, transferred out of the Lagos Division, and the case was reassigned to the new trial judge, Justice Dehinde Dipeolu.
The EFCC’s prosecution counsel, Mrs Chinenye Okezie, told the court that the defendant allegedly conspired with the other defendants, and used the sum of N1.47bn belonging to the Maize Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria.
Okezie said that the defendant allegedly retained the sum of N197m in his UBA account, which formed part of the proceeds of illegal act of gratification.
She also told the court that Chigozie allegedly used N120m to acquire a property in his name, in the Gwarimpa area of Abuja and another N200m, to acquire two properties in Owerri, Imo State.
The anti-graft agency said the defendant used the aggregate sum of N90m to acquire several plots of land in parts of Owerri.
He was further accused of using the sum of N34m to acquire three Toyota Hilux vehicles in his name.
The commission also said that the defendant allegedly received a dollar cash payment equivalent to N87m from one Muwawiyya Haruna, which sum exceeded the amount authorised by law.
Our correspondent gathered that the EFCC said the defendant ought to have known that the money formed part of the proceeds of unlawful activity of fraud.
According to the commission, the offences committed contravened Sections 1(a), 15(1), 15(2), 15(3), 16, and 18(a) of the Money Laundering Act, 2012.
However, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
Following the defendant’s plea on Thursday, the defence counsel, Mr Etudo Mefo, urged the court to allow the defendant to continue on an earlier bail granted him by the court on August 7, 2023.
But the prosecutor, Okezie, urged the court to only allow the defendant to continue on his existing bail if the defence counsel would undertake to ensure his attendance in court.
She explained to the court that the defendant had been absent on certain occasions, which she claimed had caused some drama.
The prosecutor, therefore, insisted that she would not oppose if the defence counsel made that undertaking.
In his response, the defence counsel told the court that when the defendant was first granted bail, his sureties included his biological father as well as a legal practitioner.
He told the court that he was willing to add to the number, and thus undertook to ensure attendance of the defendant in court.
Following the agreement of the parties, Justice Dipeolu adjourned the case until March 13 for trial.
The corpse of a 27-year-old man identified as Alagbe Gbemisoye has been recovered from a deep well at Ire-Akari, Adeniran area of Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
His body was retrieved by officials of the Oyo State Fire Service after passersby alerted them to the incident.
The circumstances that led to the deceased falling into the well were still unclear as of the time of filing this report.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Fire Reforms and Chairman, Fire Services, Moroof Akinwande, said his men were alerted by a running caller and Mr Ajayi Olayemi.
“Fire personnel led by CFM Oladejo promptly deployed to the scene. On arrival, it was discovered that a man of about 27 years old, named Alagbe Gbemisoye, had fallen into a deep well. His body was recovered and handed over to the DPO, Owode Police Station,” he said.
Akinwande urged the public to always observe safety precautions in their daily activities and emphasised the importance of having fire extinguishers in their homes to prevent fire incidents.
The Enugu State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old man, Chibuike Joshua Ugwuja, for allegedly staging his own abduction and demanding ₦35 million ransom from his family.
Ugwuja, who works as a private security guard in an estate in Trans-Ekulu, was reported missing by his father on November 24 after he failed to return home two days earlier.
The father told the Trans-Ekulu Police Division that the suspect had sent a Facebook message to their female neighbour claiming he had been abducted by unknown persons in a commercial bus and that his “kidnappers” were demanding ₦35 million.
Police operatives immediately launched an investigation and intensified efforts to trace and rescue the purported victim.
But in a surprising twist, the suspect’s father brought him to the station on November 30, following days of coordinated search operations across the area.
Upon interrogation, Ugwuja confessed to staging the kidnap from the home of a friend in Amorji Nike, Enugu.
According to the police, he admitted to fabricating the abduction story and sending ransom demands to his family.
He returned home on November 29 after his family failed to raise the ransom.
He allegedly told investigators that he acted out of frustration over his uncle’s inability to procure a tricycle (keke) for him.
Police spokesperson, Daniel Ndukwe, said the suspect is now in custody and would be charged in court once investigations are concluded.
Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, described the incident as “a regrettable height of criminality”.
He praised the suspect’s parents for promptly reporting the case and producing their son, instead of shielding him.
He urged residents to always report suspected kidnapping cases and avoid rushing to pay ransom, assuring that the command remains committed to maintaining security during the yuletide season.
Terrorists have reportedly abducted a traditional ruler, Oba Bayagan, in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, sparking renewed fear over the worsening insecurity gripping rural communities across the state.
The monarch was kidnapped on Saturday, though specifics around the attack are still unclear at the time of filing this report.
The latest kidnap incident has heightened tension across Ifelodun and neighbouring LGAs, as residents worry the insurgents are expanding their reach across communities, ransacking escape corridors with sporadic raids.
Sources within the community confirmed residents had not recovered from previous incidents before news of Saturday’s abduction hit the town.
Recall that barely two weeks ago, gunmen stormed a church in the Ekiti axis, abducting worshippers during a thanksgiving service.
Security intervention later led to the rescue of the victims.
Shortly after, another armed gang invaded the Isapa community, also in the Ekiti corridor, kidnapping at least 11 residents, including women and young persons.
SaharaReporters further confirmed in a separate report that terrorists also returned to strike Manba Village late Friday night, entering through the Rogun axis at about 11 pm.
“The gunmen came through Rogun and headed straight into Manba. They operated freely and took two people away,” the source told SaharaReporters.
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