Advanced Fee Fraud: Police Arraign Lawyer, Three Others - GUARDIAN

Published: Saturday, 26 October 2013 20:07

Written by From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu

THE Police have arraigned four persons including a lawyer over allegation of false pretences and sale of landed property worth millions of naira belonging to Ozalla Abor community in Udi council of Enugu State.
   The four accused persons—Anthony Eze, Chukwuka Ugwu, Ikechukwu Emefu and
Nzube Nwankwo—who were said to have constituted themselves as executives and trustees of the Ozalla Abor General Assembly and defrauded the Association of Resident Doctors of the UNTH, Enugu, to the tune of N55m were docked at the Federal High Court, Enugu on a four count charge.
   The accused persons had pleaded not guilty when the charges were read, prompting their counsel, Chuma Oguejiofor, to ask for their bail as well as
a date for their trial.
   Police Counsel, M. U. Jonathan, had concurred to the application for bail.
   Presiding Judge, Justice M. L. Shuaibu, had granted bail to the four accused persons in the sum of N10,000,000 each and two sureties in the like sum, who shall also deposit original copies of their title documents to the court.
   He ordered that the accused persons be remanded in prisons custody pending
the fulfilment of their bail conditions and adjourned trial till January
22, 2014.
   The charge reads, “That you Anthony Eze, Chukwuka Ugwu, Ikechukwu Emefu and Nzube Nwankwo sometime between October, 2012 and January 2013 at No 70 Nza Street, Independence Layout, Enugu, in the Federal high court, Enugu division did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit; obtaining property by false pretences and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 8 (a) and punishable under section 1 (30 of the Advanced fee fraud and other fraud related offences.
 “That you Anthony Eze, Chukwuka Ugwu,Ikechukwu Emefu and Nzube Nwankwo
sometime between October 2012 and January 2013 at No.70 Nza Street, Independence Layout, Enugu, by false pretense and with intent to defraud
did obtain the sum of N55m from the Association of Resident Doctors, University of Nigeria chapter, Enugu, while holding out yourselves to be the executives and trustees of Ozalla Abor General Assembly, Enugu State, and thereby committed an offence under section 1 (3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other Related Offences.
   “That you Anthony Eze, Chukwuka Ugwu and Ikechukwu Emefu sometime in January at Ozalla Abor community by false pretence and with intent to defraud did award a contract of N17, 700,000 but paid the said Leonard Ikpa the sum of N11m and kept back the sum of N6, 700,000.
   “That you Nzube Nwankwo between October 2012 and January 2013 at No.70 Nza
Street being occupier of a law firm situate within the premises knowingly permitted the premises to be used for the purposes of obtaining money under false pretences thereby committing an offence punishable under section 3 of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other Related Offences Act”.