Echotitbits – Nigeria News

Tag: EFCC

  • Fake Travel Agent Bags Seven Years for N9m Visa Scam

    Fake Travel Agent Bags Seven Years for N9m Visa Scam

    Justice Emeka Isiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Umuahia, Abia State has convicted and sentenced a fake travel agent Iheanacho Chikwendu, to seven years imprisonment for defrauding his victims the sum of N9,000,000.00 (Nine Million Naira only).

    He was jailed on March 19, 2021 after a four- year trial in a 10-count charge preferred against him by the Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The charges bordered on obtaining money by false pretense.

    Count One of the charges reads: “That you Iheanacho Chikwendu on or about the 15th September, 2016 at Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud obtained the sum of Four Million Naira only N4,000,000.00 through your First Bank Plc Account number 3078148618 by false pretense, when you presented yourself as a travel agent to Mary Nwankwo and capable of procuring a Canadian Visa for her daughters,  a pretense you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary Section 1 (1) (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under 1(3) of the same Act”.

    The defendant pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, thereby prompting a full-trial of the case that lasted four years.

    Justice Isiagor, in his judgment, found Chikwendu guilty, convicted and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment on counts 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8, and discharged him on counts 1, 4, 9, & 10 of the charges. He ordered him to make a restitution of N9million to the victim.

  • Magu’s Troubles Likely Worsens as Buhari Receives Inquiry Report on Ex-EFCC Chairman

    Magu’s Troubles Likely Worsens as Buhari Receives Inquiry Report on Ex-EFCC Chairman

    No respite yet for the former Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, as his case resurfaced again at the State House in Abuja.

    This time, it’s the submission of the voluminous report by the Justice Ayo Salami-led Judicial Commission of Inquiry on the Investigation of Magu to President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Inside sources alleged that the report has essentially exposed Magu and he may have a lot to explain in the coming days.

    Speaking while receiving the report from Salami, Buhari reiterated his desire to make Nigeria a country that has no tolerance for corruption.

    According to him, “Corruption is present in all countries. Some governments treat it with levity. Some fight it all the time. I want Nigeria to be counted among those countries that do not tolerate but fight corruption.”

    In order to protect Nigeria’s political and economic systems, and the continuous existence of the Nigerian state from the serious threat of corruption, the President called on all stakeholders, and indeed every Nigerian to own the fight against corruption at their respective levels.

    Buhari pedged that the fight against corruption is one that must be fought without fear or favour, expressing his gratitude to members of the commission for their dedication and commitment to the fight against corruption.

    “The sad reality confronting us as a people is that there is corruption almost everywhere; at many levels of government, and nearly every stratum of our society. Mindful of the threat that corruption poses to us as a nation, this administration has specifically focused on the fight against corruption.

    “As a government, and in furtherance of our anti-corruption programme, we have since inception engaged in many reforms in removing corruption including but not limited to the enforcement of Treasury Single Account (TSA), strict implementation of the Bank Verification Number Policy and signing unto the Open Government Partnership. A lot of efforts have gone into building and development of our anti-corruption institutions.

    “We have so far kept faith with our promise and shall remain committed until Nigeria triumphs over the evil of corruption, attain a prosperous economic status and surmounts her security challenges.

    “However, the stark reality of widespread corruption becomes poignant when allegations of corruption touches on the leadership of an institution set up by law to coordinate and enforce all economic and financial crimes. It is an abomination that strikes at the root, and undermines the government’s anti-corruption programme.

    “It was in response to the serious allegations against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that I set up a panel headed by the Honourable Justice Isa Ayo Salami, retired President of the Court of Appeal, via an Instrument dated 3rd July 2020 pursuant to the Tribunals of Inquiry Act (Cap T21, LFN, 2004).

    “We recognise that there are more grounds to cover in the war against corruption, and we are prepared to go out to possess those lands by cutting off any stream that nourishes the seed of corruption and supports its growth.

    “Let it be known that in the fight against corruption, no one is too big to tackle, as no individual is bigger than the Nigerian state,” Buhari said.

    Also speaking at the brief event in Abuja, Salami said Magu and 113 witnesses appeared and testified before the commission, adding that 46 petitions and memoranda were presented by individuals and organisations with complaints against the suspended Acting Chairman, EFCC or both.

    Salami noted that the commission also embarked on a nationwide physical verification of recovered forfeited assets, comprising real estates, automobiles, vessels and non-cash assets.

    He commended the President for the initiative to dispose all forfeited assets “because of the poor condition of the assets we saw during our physical verification nationwide.”

    Noting that the four chairmen of EFCC since inception were from the police, the retired Justice of the Court of Appeal also recommended that in appointing a new chairman consideration should be given to candidates from other law enforcement or security agencies and core staff of the EFCC as provided in the EFCC establishment Act of 2004.

    He expressed profound gratitude to the President for giving the commission members a wonderful opportunity to serve the nation.

    Idowu Sowunmi

  • Adoke Trial: Court Warns EFCC Over Incessant Request For Adjournement

    Adoke Trial: Court Warns EFCC Over Incessant Request For Adjournement

    The Federal High Court, Abuja has issued warning to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against several requests for adjournment in the ongoing money laundering charge against former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, who is standing trial alongside business man, Aliyu Abubakar.

    At the resumed trial on Wednesday, Justice Inyang Ekwo gave the warning when EFCC lawyer, Bala Sanga asked the court for an adjournment following the absence of the fifth prosecution witness in court.

    READ ALSO:

    Corruption: Prosecutor stalls trial of ex-AGF, Judge adjourns till August 13

    Frowning at the incessant request for adjournment, Justice Ekwo told the prosecuting counsel to note that there was a limit to the number of adjournments he could request for.

    His explanation, Sanga told the court that the fifth prosecution witness had to be subpoenaed because he had became hesitant and was refusing to attend court to testify in the matter.

    Recall that on August 11, the EFCC had requested for an adjournment after failing to serve witness statements on the defendants.

    Also on September 7, the court granted adjournment on the case when counsel to Abubakar informed the court that the statement of the fourth prosecution witness was not added to the proof of evidence served on them.

    According to section 396(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), “where day to day trial is impracticable after arraignment, no party shall be entitled to more than five adjournments from arraignment to final judgment…”

    In an earlier testimony the fourth prosecuting witness, a bureau de change (BDC) operator, Farouk Suleiman, told the court that Abubakar had given him cheques totaling N2 billion and asked him to change it to the dollar equivalent sometime in Sept. 2013.

    READ ALSO:

    Court jails Ex-NIMASA ED, Agaba 7 years imprisonment for Laundering N1.5bn

    Suleiman, testified that he cleared the cheques through an account belonging to Farsman Holdings Limited, a company which belonged to him, domiciled with Heritage Bank.

    However, under cross-examination by Abubakar’s counsel, Mr Olalekan Ojo, Suleiman said neither the cheques nor the receipt of transactions had the name of Abubakar. He said the cheques were drawn in the name of Equal Access Limited. Adoke and Abubakar were re-arraigned by the EFCC on Aug. 4, on an amended 14-count charge bordering on money laundering.

    (NAN)

  • EFCC debunks alleged Lagos “stop and search” operations

    EFCC debunks alleged Lagos “stop and search” operations

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has debunked reports that its operatives are involved in “stop and search” operations in the Lekki axis of Lagos State.

    The anti graft agency on Wednesday night in a statement by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale avowed that none of its operatives was in such operations.

    “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been drawn to some spurious news circulating in the social media, linking its Operatives with some contrived “Stop and Search” operations around Lekki axis of Lagos State.

    “We wish to state very clearly that our Operatives were not and can never be involved in such operations”, Oyewale said in the statement.

    He further distanced its operatives from the act emphasizing the professionalism of the agency.

    “EFCC is a professional law enforcement agency and should not be linked with any traffic management operation on our roads.”

    Oyewale however, enjoined members of the public to ignore such insinuations.

  • Order EFCC to Unseal Our Properties in Abia Now, Trademore Tells Court

    Order EFCC to Unseal Our Properties in Abia Now, Trademore Tells Court

    A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has been told by Trademore International Holding Limited to order the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to unseal properties belonging to it.

    Trademore, in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/696/2020, had taken EFCC to court challenging the sealing of its building and asking that it be unsealed.

    In an ex parte order granted July 20 by Justice I. E. Ekwo, the court restrained the anti-graft and its agents from further interrogating, harassing or arresting Trademore boss or any other staff of the company pending final determination of the suit.

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    A copy of the ex parte order was addressed to EFCC Acting Chairman by the court after counsel to the plaintiff (Trademore), N. J. Kalu, Esq., alleged that the defendant (EFCC) had refused service.

    Amongst other prayers, the plaintiff (Trademore) was asking the court for an order declaring that the defendant unlawfully trespassed into the plaintiff estates located within Abia State, including a luxury apartment estate located on Akanu Ibiam Street along bank road, Umuahia, MIllenium apartment located along Finbars Street Umuahia, Ogwumabiri event centre located along Okpara Square, Umuahia, Trademore estate located between Ngwu (Bende Local Government Area of Abia State) and Ubani Ibeku (Umuahia North Local Government Area).

    Others are: declaring the sealing and taking over of the plaintiff estates located within Abia State as unlawful and illegal, declaring that all sealed estate is owned by Trademore and notes placed on the properties be removed.

    He also prayed that the agency should write a letter of apology to Trademore for the wrongful sealing and taking over possession of the properties and declaring that none of the plaintiff estates sealed and taken over by the defendant belongs to the former governor.

    EFCC operatives had sometime in July sealed off Trademore company over alleged links to a former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu

    In spite of the glaring evidence that the property under dispute has no direct links to the former governor, it was gathered that the estates located in Abia State had remained sealed till date.

    READ ALSO:

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    Meanwhile, Mike Ozekhome’s Chambers, Legal Practitioners and Notaries Public, solicitors to the Trademore’s chairman, has written a Caveat Emptor Notice to the general public published on a national daily, insisting that Trademore International Holding Limited is the real owners of the property sealed by the EFCC.

    Idowu Sowunmi

  • Magu Probe: FCMB mistakenly transferred ₦573m to Prophet Omale – Bank MD

    Magu Probe: FCMB mistakenly transferred ₦573m to Prophet Omale – Bank MD

    The Managing Director of First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Adam Nuru has appeared before the Presidential Committee on Audit of Recovered Assets (PCARA), which is probing former Accting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu for alleged embezzlement and mismanagement of recovered looted funds.

    The FCMB chief during his testimony explained that the his bank made an error by transferring ₦573 million into the church account of one Pastor Emmanuel Omale.

    The ex-EFCC huncho was accused of allegedly using Omale, founder of the Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministry, to launder funds abroad.

    The accusation against Magu read that he had purchased a property in Dubai using Omale’s name as a front— an allegation the pastor has denied.

    Nuru was reported to have said in his testimony last Thursday, that FCMB only just discovered the mistake upon invitation by the committee, which is four years after the money was posted.

    “On January 16, 2016, we made a return to NFIU which indicated that there was a transaction of an inflow of well over N573million. (N573,228,40),” the bank MD said.

    “This return was said to be in favour of Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministries Account No 1486743019.

    “After that report, we conducted an investigation and discovered that the lodgement which we reported to NFIU was an error.

    “The error was as a result of the fact that we were using a bank application called Pinnacle-7. However, we migrated from that application to a newer version called Pinnacle-10.

    “Usually, when the bank intends to migrate from one application to another, we utilize weekends to carry out the exercise. The migration involves moving all the balances of customers from the previous application to the new application. The account of the Divine Hand Ministries was moved during that migration.

    “It was that balance of N573million that was wrongly posted as an inflow into Divine Hand Ministries as reported to NFIU. This error was not peculiar to Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministries alone but was also ascribed to 27 other accounts”, FCMB said.

  • President Buhari hits EFCC with a purge, suspends Secretary Olukoyede, 11 others

    President Buhari hits EFCC with a purge, suspends Secretary Olukoyede, 11 others

    Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has suspended about 12 senior officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, P.M News reports.

    The notice of suspension was communicated to the Acting Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Mohammed Umar, on Tuesday night by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

    The suspension of the about 12 senior officials is connected to the probe of alleged atrocities committed under the leadership of Ibrahim Magu, the disgraced and suspended Chairman of the EFCC.

    According to P.M News, sources close to the presidency disclosed on Tuesday night that the executive secretary of the EFCC, Olanipekun Olukoyede was not spared the sweeping suspension at the agency.

    READ ALSO: Lagos, USAID sign pact towards new electrification plan for residents

    P.M News, the Nigerian newspaper reported that a source said: “they were suspended for various alleged criminal and corrupt infractions”, so as to not compromise ongoing investigations into alleged corruption leveled against the officials.

    “All the top officials in the agency have been suspended, their offices locked, to prevent any tampering with files at the commission”, the source added.

    President Buhari suspended Ibrahim Magu, the former acting chairman of the agency last week and appointed the director of operations, Mohammed Umar Abba, to lead the agency in acting capacity.

    It was said that Umar was spared the sweeping suspension because he was not culpable in the alleged criminal dealings leveled against Magu and some senior officers.

    Following his confirmation by the Senate in November 2018, Olukoyede was appointed the Secretary to the EFCC.

    The senior member of the Nigerian Bar Association was first a chief of staff to Magu, and later ascend to the position of Secretary of the EFCC after the five-year tenure of Emmanuel Aremo expired in July 2018.

    The former acting chairman of the agency is facing for the second week, grilling by the presidential panel headed by Justice Ayo Salami, over financial allegations and improprieties, including money laundering.

    He is facing tough questioning over allegations that he re-looted funds recovered by the commission. And that he accepted bribes to pervert cases of graft.

    He is also accused of mismanagement of recovered assets by the EFCC.

    Among the issues Magu is helping the panel to resolve are wide discrepancies in figures of recovered monies published by the agency.

    The panel has also asked him to react to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit(NFIU) report accusing him of siphoning money from the EFCC.

    NFIU report showed that a particular Bureau de Change, owned by Ahmed Ibrahim Shanono linked to the Acting Chairman based in Kaduna has more than 158 accounts and has been receiving huge sums of funds.

    READ ALSO: Gokada founder, Fahim Saleh gruesomely murdered in US

    The report also accused Magu of laundering money through Pastor Emmanuel Omale of Hand of God Prophetic Ministry.

    Omale was alleged to have bought a landed property on behalf of Magu worth N573 million in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

    “Another individual who is helping in laundering funds for the Acting Chairman and who has been referred to in several petitions is one Pastor Emmanuel Omale (Hand of God Prophetic Ministry)” a source quoted by P.M News stated.

  • $8.5 Scam: Alleged internet fraudster, Ikenna Onwuzruike returns to court

    $8.5 Scam: Alleged internet fraudster, Ikenna Onwuzruike returns to court

    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

  • There are chat evidences against Mompha’s accomplices – EFCC’s forensic expert says

    There are chat evidences against Mompha’s accomplices – EFCC’s forensic expert says

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal Office has presented the first prosecution witness, Nuru Buhari, in the trial of the duo of Kayode Phillips and Hamza Koudeih, both of whom are alleged accomplices of Ismaila Mustapha, popularly known as Mompha before Justice Muslim S. Hassan of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos.

    This was disclosed by the agency via Twitter late Monday.
    The defendants, who are high-valued targets in Organized Cyber Syndicate Network, OCSN, were arraigned on November 28, 2019 on 25-count charges, bordering on conspiracy and money laundering.
    The charges against the defendants, who pleaded not guilty, thus setting off their trial, read: “That you, Kayode Phillips (a.k.a Voice of the King) and Hamza Koudeih (a.k.a. HK), sometime in May, 2019 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired among yourselves to commit an offence to wit conversion of the aggregate sum of $7, 069, 000 (Seven Million, Sixty-nine Thousand United States Dollars), £1, 000, 000 (One Million Pounds) and €80,000 (Eighty Thousand Euro), which sums you reasonably ought to have known form part of the proceeds of fraud and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 18 (a), 15 (2)(d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.”
    At the last sitting, Buhari, who is a forensic expert with the EFCC, while being led in evidence by prosecution counsel, A.O. Mohammed, gave a detailed account of the findings he made on the computer hard disk and two mobile phones, recovered from Philips, the first defendant.
    These, he said,  included the lead document and transfer instructions to some people.
    “My lord, I also found in the phones, chats between the first defendant and some other people, where he was discussing how to market each lead document to them,” the witness stated.
    They were tendered and admitted in evidence by the court after a failed opposition to their admissibility by Olutade Falana, counsel to the first defendant.
    Justice Hassan however adjourned the matter till July 20 and 21, 2020 for ruling and continuation of trial.
  • ‘How Magu Allegedly Re-loots Recovered Funds’

    ‘How Magu Allegedly Re-loots Recovered Funds’

    Suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, has been accused of re-looting funds recovered by the commission as well as bribery.

    Magu, who is currently being interrogated by a Presidential Investigation Committee on the EFCC-Federal Government Recovered Assets and Finances from May 2015 to May 2020, headed by retired Justice Ayo Salami, has been accused of mismanagement and lack of transparency in managing recovered assets by EFCC.

    A final report of the presidential probe panel obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had seriously indicted and implicated Magu on various allegations levelled against him.

    The new facts have emerged on how interest rates accruing from N550 billion recovered by EFCC in the period under review were allegedly re-looted.

    Read Aldo… You’re unfit to lead an agency like EFCC, PDP condemns Magu 

    Magu is now expected to disclose the whereabouts of the missing interest funds running into millions of naira.

    NAN also observed that the Final Report of Presidential Committee on Audit of Recovered Assets (PCARA) that covered the period of May 29, 2015, to November 22, 2018, had also confirmed the concerns of the public about contradictory recovery figures emanating from Magu.

    “It is quite disturbing that conflicting figures are being circulated in the public space by EFCC as the amount of recovered funds.

    “For foreign currency recoveries, EFCC reported a total naira equivalent of N46,038,882,509.87, while the Naira equivalent of the foreign currency lodgments was N37,533,764,195.66, representing a shortfall of N8,505,118,314.21.

    “These inconsistencies cast serious doubt on the accuracy of figures submitted by EFCC. It is the committee’s view that EFCC cannot be said to have fully accounted for cash recoveries made by it.

    “While EFCC reported total Naira recoveries of N504,154,184,744.04, the actual bank lodgements were N543,511,792,863.47. These discrepancies mean that EFCC’s actual lodgment exceeded its reported recoveries by N39,357,608,119.43.

    “It must be pointed out that the discrepancy of more than thirty-nine billion naira does not include interest accrued in this account since it was opened.

    “It, therefore, casts serious doubt on the credibility of the figures and means that a substantial amount of money has not been accurately accounted for.

    “Failure to report on the interest on actual lodgements clearly establishes that the interest element of over N550 billion has been re-looted relating to the period under review.

    “This is an apparent case of manipulation of data in a very brazen and unprofessional manner and this has greatly eroded the public confidence in the anti-corruption efforts,’’ the report stated in part.

    Read Also…. Buhari Breaks Silence on Magu, Says Suspended EFCC Acting Chairman Not Above the Law

    NAN also reports that PCARA revealed how the investigative reports on EFCC’s activities by the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) exposed acts of corruption and money laundering against some EFCC officials, including Magu.

    “The NFIU reports established that the Acting Chairman has been using different sources to siphon money from EFCC, and in some cases collecting bribes from suspects.

    “The report has shown that a particular Bureau de Change, owned by Ahmed Ibrahim Shanono linked to the Acting Chairman based in Kaduna has more than 158 accounts and has been receiving huge sums of funds.

    “The link to Magu was also established by the payment of N28 million to Falana who is a close associate and ally of the Acting Chairman,’’ PCARA report further revealed.

    NAN reports that the Salami probe panel is expected to continue sitting on Monday, while Magu’s lawyer, Oluwatosin Ojaomo, had on Friday applied for an administrative bail for his client, who is facing corruption and other charges before the panel.