Alleged N30m Fraud: EFCC To Arraign Female Suspect

Arraigns Suspected Fraudster Over N11.6m Securities Scam, Two Others Over N8m Fraud

BEVERLY HILLS, CA, May 21, (THEWILL) â€' The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, will on May 23, 2014 arraign a business woman, Mary Okoh alias Josephine Williams, for offences bordering on fraud and forgery.

Okoh was arrested by the operatives of the Commission following a complaint by Okon Abasi, executive officer, Mutual Alliance Property Development Company Limited.

According to Abasi, the suspect obtained the sum of thirty million naira (N30, 000,000.00) from him as loan and gave him a Certificate of Occupancy for her landed property situated at Gwarimpa, Abuja as collateral.

The suspect allegedly defaulted in payment of the loan and also sold the property used as collateral to Lead British Schools, Gwarimpa with another Certificate of Occupancy.

With investigation into the scam already concluded, the suspect will on Friday, May 23, 2014 be arraigned at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja.

Suspected Fraudster Arraigned for N11.6m Securities Scam

The EFCC Wednesday arraigned Etim James Etim before Justice I.L Ojukwu of a Federal High Court, Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State on a 12-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery and stealing.

Specifically, Etim allegedly stole and sold shares valued at N11.655, 000 (Eleven Million, Six Hundred and Fifty- Five Thousand Naira only) belonging to an eighty-five-year old pensioner, Chief Ukim Okon Edem, without his consent. He committed the fraud in connivance with three other accomplices: Okey Godfrey Okebalama, James Oyabolo and Udoh (all at large).

When the charges were read to him, he pleaded not guilty.

Count two of the charge reads: 'That you Etim James Etim( a.k.a T Boy, 'Ukim Okon Edem') on or about the 7th March, 2013 at Oron Road, Uyo within the Uyo Judicial Division of this honourable court with intent to defraud stole the sum of Five Million Naira ( N5,000,000) only being the proceeds from the sale of Seventeen Thousand One Hundred and Twenty Six ( 17,126) unit of Guinness Nigeria Plc shares, property of Chief Ukim Okon Edem and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 390(9) of the Criminal Code Act Cap. 38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004'.

Counsel to the EFCC, Ben Ubi, told the court that he was prepared for trial and prayed that the accused person be remanded in prison custody. However, counsel to the accused person, John Okpe, asked the court to allow him make an oral application for bail for his client but Justice Ojukwu declined. He ordered him to file a formal application for bail.

The judge thereafter adjourned the matter till June 12 and 20, 2014 and ordered that the accused person be remanded in prison custody.

EFCC Arraigns Two for N8m Fraud
Two persons, Bello Mohammed Tukur, a staff of Bauchi State Scholarship Board and one, Shamsuden Abdullahi, were Wednesday arraigned before Justice Mohammed Garba Umar at the Federal High Court Bauchi by the EFCC for conspiracy, forgery and stealing.

The duo sometime in 2012, allegedly defrauded the Bauchi State Scholarship Board to the tune of about N8.023 million.

The sum was allegedly pulled out from the Board's accounts at the defunct FinBank (now FCMB) and GT Bank Plc, with forged instruments.

Further investigation by the Commission revealed how Tukur who works in the Secret Registry of the Board, and his accomplices, intercepted and doctored students scholarship cheques before cashing them with fake student identity cards. Fictitious names were also found to have been added to the payment vouchers by Tukur.

One of the counts read: 'That you, Bello Tukur, Shamsudeen Abdullahi and Kabiru Shuaibu (now at large) sometime between May and July 2012 in Bauchi, Bauchi State within the Jurisdiction of this court, the Federal High Court of Nigeria did fraudulently convert to your own use, monies, the sum of N8,023,440:00 (eight million, twenty three thousand, four hundred and forty naira only) property of the Bauchi State Scholarship Board and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 383 and punishable under Section 390(9) of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (LFN) 2004'.

The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges when read to them.

In view of the plea of the accused persons, prosecuting counsel, Alqasim Ja'afar, asked the court to fix a date for trial. Attempt by counsel to the accused persons, Mohammed Rabiu Musa and Dalhatu Sufyan Khalid to move an oral application for bail was turned down by the judge who asked them to come formally before the court.

Justice Umar adjourned the case to June 17, 2014 for trial, while the accused persons were ordered to be remanded in prison custody.