The trial of alleged internet fraud kingpin, Omwuzuruike Ikenna Kingsley, who was nabbed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) continued on Monday, July 13, 2020.
At the resumed hearing of the matter, which is before Justice A. T Mohammed of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the prosecution presented its first witness, Abbas Suleiman, an Assistant Detective Superintendent (ADS) of the EFCC, before the court.
While being led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, MT Iko; Suleiman told the court how the Commission, on receiving an intelligence on the alleged fraudulent activities of the defendant, commenced investigation which later led to his arrest in Umuahia, Abia State.
He stated that, the defendant was arrested with items such as a Samsung Galaxy Phone, iphone 11, black Dell laptop, 3 Nigerian international passports and an Accura car.
He also said the defendant was taken to the Port Harcourt office of the EFCC, where he volunteered his statement in writing under caution.
Furthermore, Suleiman disclosed that in the course of investigation, letters of investigation activities were written to the Egypt Embassy, Thailand Embassy, United States Embassy and some banks, such as United Bank for Africa, UBA, Polaris and Ecobank, who all cooperated.
The prosecuting counsel, Iko, thereby sought the permission of the court to tender the letters of investigation activities in evidence and were accepted and marked as Exhibit A1 to E respectively.
The defendant, Kingsley, is being prosecuted on eight -count charges bordering on conspiracy, impersonation, forgery, possession of proceeds and obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of Eight Million, Five Hundred and Two Thousand Dollars ($8,502,000.00).
He allegedly represented himself as one Jeff Sikora, President/CEO of Prime Trust Credit Union Bank in the United States of America, USA and used the false identity to defraud his victims, including an Egyptian who was defrauded of the sum of $6,500,000.00 on the pretext that he was a beneficiary of Inheritance Funds in a fixed deposit account of Prime Trust Financial Bank.
The defendant also received the sum of Two Thousand United States Dollars ($2,000) which was transferred to him by his syndicate member, one Obi Taxas, who is now at large, as part of his cut from the heist.
Meanwhile, Justice Mohammed adjourned the matter to 16th and 17th July, 2020 for continuation of trial.
One of the counts against the defendant read: “that you Onwuzuruike Ikenna Kingsley (aka Jeff Sikora) on or about the 28th day of December, 2019, at Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court with intent to defraud did obtain the sum of $6,500,000.00 (Six million, Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) through web transfer from one Mr. Selah Elnagar Ali Ahmed, a citizen of the Arabic Republic of Egypt with the pretence that he is a beneficiary of Inheritance Funds in a fixed deposit account of Prime Trust Financial Bank, USA, a pretext you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act”.
Tobiloba Kolawole
