The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Port Harcourt Zonal Office, has arraigned five suspected fraudsters in Rivers State for alleged N6million fraud.
According to the statement released by the anti-graft agency on Thursday 4th February 2021, the names of the five suspected fraudsters are Olurunpomi T. David, Fasoyin Ojo, Emmanuel Otemu, Felix G. Sigite and a company, Seagabs Ventures.
The suspects were arraigned before Justice A. T. Muhammed of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The five suspected fraudsters were arraigned on Wednesday, February 3, 2021 on two count charges bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence, to the tune of N6,030,000 (Six Million and Thirty Thousand Naira only).
They pleaded “not guilty” to the charges when they were read to them. One of the count charges read:
“That you Olurunpomi T. David, Fasoyin Ojo, Emmanuel Otemu, Felix Sigite and Seagabs Ventures on or about the 7th day of August 2018 at Port Harcourt, Rivers State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud did induce one Aken Morris Agbomhere of Maldek Royal Limited to pay the sum of N6,030,000.00 (Six Million, Thirty Thousand Naira only) into Account Number 0097295067 domiciled in Diamond Bank Plc operated by you under the pretence that the said sum was payment for the supply of 45,000 (Forty Five Thousand) litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), 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”.
In view of their pleas, prosecuting counsel, F. O. Amama prayed the court for a short adjournment to enable him to prepare for a full trial.
However, counsels to the 1st, 2nd and 5th defendants: John Bedum, L. J. Ugua and F. N. Oluwonso orally applied for the bail of their clients.
Their applications were turned down on the ground that they needed to apply for bail in writing. Counsel to the 3rd and 4th defendants: F. N. Oluwonso applied for bail in writing but the prosecution sued for time to respond to the applications.
Justice Muhammed adjourned the matter till March 1, 2021 and ordered that the defendants be remanded in the prosecution’s custody pending the determination of their bail applications.
The defendants ran into trouble, when a petitioner alleged that, sometimes in 2018, he got a Local Purchase Order to supply 45,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil, (AGO) to a company at Eket, Akwa Ibom State, and contracted the supply to them.
The petitioner allegedly paid a sum of N6,030,000 into a Diamond Bank account of one of the defendants, who stood for his associates in the business. After obtaining the money, the defendants neither supplied the oil nor refund the money to the petitioner.