TheNewsGuru

Tag: fraud

  • Pastor bags 7 years in prison over N1m fraud

    Pastor bags 7 years in prison over N1m fraud

    An Oyo State High Court in Ibadan, has sentenced one Pastor Odenigbo Theophilus to seven years in prison for defrauding a retiree, Mr Ojo Gbadebo, of the sum of N1 million under false pretence.

    Justice Muniru Owolabi found the defendant guilty in a two-hour judgment delivered on Friday in Ibadan.

    Owolabi said that the prosecutor had proved the charge of advance fee fraud against the convict beyond reasonable doubt.

    The judge said the convict defrauded the retiree under the guise of helping him to invest his N1 million in engine oil business that would yield an interest of N80,000 monthly.

    Owolabi said that the convict admitted using the money to offset a loan instead of investing it in the oil business as agreed.

    The judge said that the convict failed to pay the retiree neither the interest nor the capital.

    He said that the convict betrayed the trust reposed on him by the retiree being a pastor of the Deeper Life Bible Church in Abolongo, Oyo town.

    Owolabi, therefore, sentenced the convict to seven years in prison with hard labour and without an option of fine.

    Earlier, the convict’s counsel, Mr Ennis Olayinka, had pleaded with the court to be lenient in sentencing his client, saying he was a first offender and the bread winner of his family.

    The Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Oyelakin Oyeyemi, urged the court to impose the sentence as contained in the section in which he was charged.

  • Court rejects bail application of popular Lagos pastor jailed for fraud

    Court rejects bail application of popular Lagos pastor jailed for fraud

    Embattled pastor and shepherd-in-charge of Celestial Church of Christ, Global Genesis Parish, Lagos, Israel Ogundipe, has lost the post-conviction bail application he filed after he was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for fraud.

    A Lagos State High Court had convicted Ogundipe for defrauding Olaide Williams-Oni, a UK-based woman, of N17 million.

    Before the conviction, the pastor had been on trial since 2011, for seven counts of obtaining by stealing, inducing delivery of money by false pretence, unlawful conversion of property, and forgery.

    Ogundipe, who cited health grounds, asked the court to grant him unconditional bail pending the hearing and determination of the appeal of his sentence.

    Defending the bail application, Olanrewaju Ajanaku, his counsel, in a 16-paragraph affidavit, said Ogundipe is suffering from diabetes, which requires a strict diet and specialised medical attention which cannot be provided in the correctional centre.

    Ajanaku also noted that his client was suffering from hypertension, peptic ulcer and unending malaria, before his conviction, which has become worse, making him look pale.

    Arguing against the bail application, Rotimi Odutola, the prosecuting counsel, in a counter-affidavit, said during the several years of the trial, the Lagos-based pastor never complained about his health.

    Odutola argued that if Ogundipe’s health status requires special medical attention, the correctional centre will carry out a referral without informing anyone.

    “It is now he is alluding to facts about his alleged state of health now that he has being in custody for barely three weeks,” Odutola said.

    “Indeed, if his health status truly requires treatment, the correctional centres also have a procedure for referral where an inmate’s health case so demands without the prompting of anyone.”

    Olabisi Akinlade, judge of the Ikeja high court, dismissed the bail application and ordered the Lagos-based pastor to continue serving his sentence at the Kirikiri correctional centre.

    Akinlade, in the ruling, said Ogundipe had not proved his case to persuade the court to grant him bail.

  • Obinwanne Okeke Yahoo Yahoo Big Boy forfeits N235.4m to FG

    Obinwanne Okeke Yahoo Yahoo Big Boy forfeits N235.4m to FG

    Yahoo Yahoo Big Boy and Invictus Group CEO, Obinwanne Okeke has finally forfeited N235. 45m seized in his account to the Nigerian government.

    Justice A.M. Liman of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos made the final forfeiture order against the convicted fraudster on Wednesday.

    Liman had on 23 March ordered the interim forfeiture of the money domiciled in First City Monument Bank.

    This followed an ex parte application dated 18 December 2019 filed by the Lagos Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

    In granting the interim forfeiture order, the Judge ordered the Commission to advertise same in any national newspaper for anyone to show cause why the said money should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

    Following the publication of the order in a national newspaper, the Commission, on June 2, 2020, filed a Motion on Notice seeking the final forfeiture of the money to the Federal Government.

    During the proceedings on November 12, 2020, counsel to the Commission, I. Sulaiman, urged the court to grant his prayers for final forfeiture of the money, which is reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.

    In his ruling, Justice Liman granted the applicant’s prayers and also ordered the final forfeiture of the money to the Federal Government.

    Okeke, who is the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Invictus Group, was arrested sometime in August 2019 in the United States of America, USA, and charged with two counts of computer fraud and wire fraud.

    He pleaded guilty to the charge in a trial in US District Court in Norfolk Virginia.

    His sentencing was initially fixed for 22 October, but was postponed till 16 February 2021.

    The 36 year-old scammer faces up to 20 years in jail and $250,000 in fines.

    As a scammer, Okeke was involved in business email compromise.

    In one of such scams, he defrauded UK based UNATRAC Holding, a subsidiary of American company Caterpillar of $11million via spurious wire transfers.

    In June 2018, representatives of Unatrac Holding Limited contacted the FBI.

    Okeke was arrested on 6 August 2019, during a visit to the United States.

    Before his arrest, Forbes listed him as one of the influential young entrepreneurs in Africa.

  • Kogi Poly bursts exam fraud syndicate, arrests 12 students at ”magic centre”

    Kogi Poly bursts exam fraud syndicate, arrests 12 students at ”magic centre”

    Dr Salisu Usman Ogbo, Rector of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja on Monday said the institution had discovered an examination fraud syndicate and certificate racketeers operating within and outside the Lokoja campus.

    The Rector, who disclosed this at a press briefing on Monday in Lokoja, also paraded 12 suspects arrested by the security department of the institution over alleged culpability in the fraud.

    He said that following intelligence report about existence of examination “Magic Centres” both within the campus and in some parts of Lokoja, the management launched investigation into it.

    “We immediately set investigative machineries in motion to ascertain the authenticity of the report. Lo and behold, the centre being controlled by a syndicate of some disgruntled elements in our system was discovered right in the heart of Lokoja.”

    The Rector, who projected some pictures of students writing in an obscure place, said: “these are our students at one of the ‘Magic Centres’ writing their examination while examination for the course(s) in question was going on in the approved halls on the campus.

    “We were able to unravel this academic decadence with evidence on Thursday, 5th November, 2020.

    “Our team of securitymen was able to burst one of the centres called ‘Champion Lodge’ at ‘Sarkin Norma’ after the Primary School.

    “Even as the suspects escaped before the arrival of the security team, a total of 32 answer scripts on different courses, with students’ particulars written on each, were retrieved from ‘Carlifonia Lodge’ at the same ‘Sarkin Norma’ where the scripts were kept for onward transmission to their principal(s).

    “Today, Monday, 9th November, 2020 we were also able to arrest additional 12 participants of the said ‘Magic centre’ who variously confessed to their involvement,” he added.

    Ogbo said that the security team had also arrested one Victor Attah, the owner of the room that was used as the “Magic Centre”, alongside one Daniel Ikoja (AKA Progress), the owner of the room where scripts were kept for onward transmission.

    He said that a related issue was the forging of results by students.

    “So far, we have been able to establish one case involving an external result used to secure admission into the Polytechnic.

    “In all, we have expanded our dragnet with the view to tracing all those directly or indirectly involved in the fraud, and we will ensure that they are all brought to book.

    “After our investigation, we will ensure that all the collaborators are brought to book in accordance with our laws,” he said.

    The Rector warned that management would not tolerate any act capable of tarnishing the credibility of the institution, its results and certificates.

  • Why SARS officers are killing the younger generation – Chief Ojukwu

    Why SARS officers are killing the younger generation – Chief Ojukwu

    By Chief Ojukwu

    As we can see…, not everyone out there protesting wants to destroy property or attack police. Not everyone is an anarchist or anti-government like some people are trying to force down people’s throats.

    Most just want police brutality to end, but there has always been a war between the older generation and the young ones. People between the ages of 35-45 are now caught in the middle.

    I am of the age where I understand clearly how the mind of these oldies work and also know where the youths are coming from.

    The old ones believe work and earning a living as – go to school to study medicine, law, accountancy, pharmacy etc, work for a period of years, buy a small car, marry while still living in a rented place, add a few more years and then build a house in the village.

    To the old, the other set of lucky ones are the ones who make money through government/contacts.

    The oldies see agriculture as hoe, machete; cocoa, palm oil, groundnut, poultry in the backyard and a few goats. The oldies believe in hard work until you are old and bent, and they also have a serious problem – they are always right! Nothing you say to convince them and make them see your perspective.

    A 25-year-old lady I know works with Patterson & Zochonis (PZ). She drives a highlander and lives in a flat. She is stopped frequently by the police. She is profiled daily as an ashawo. Why? They don’t understand how a 25-year-old girl can drive SUV and look good. She must be into prostitution.

    Another 26-year-old works for Jumia. Meanwhile, he has different certifications: web/app development, coding etc on the side. He rakes in nothing less than 500k+ salary every month. Some app gigs put millions into his account all at once. He drives a Lexus sedan. SARS officers have extorted him so much that he now goes to work with a bus. Yet, they have picked him up while at a park waiting for a bus!

    To them, you can’t be young, have an iPhone, iPod, Tab and a laptop without doing Yahoo Yahoo!

    A young man just got an offer letter from a bank for N600m. Turns out his company turns over N300m yearly. He needs the cash infusion to expand. He isn’t yet 35, has a babyface, no beards. A guy who runs a company that can do over N300m a year can drive a G-wagon but the cops won’t let him rest and the oldies will say he is either into Yahoo Yahoo or even something worse!

    Another person just got CBN intervention of N1bn. He owns a farm and does about the same N1bn yearly! The oldies ask how possible is it because they do not know that a metric tonne of sesame seed is between $2,100-$2,500. They do not know that a metric tonne of ginger is between $1,800-$2,300. The oldies see potato as ‘buy, peel, fry & eat’, meanwhile the young one sees it as ‘buy process into powder, slice and packed or pringles’.

    The oldies see snail as only peppered snail or inside Edikaikon, meanwhile, the young ones will extract the slime, export to Vietnam, pocket dollars while also doing pepper snail with the meat.

    A young lady had me tweet her beauty products a few months ago. Few days before the lockdown she had just returned from a fair for companies that manufacture beauty products hosted in the United States. It was an all-expense trip paid by the hosts. During the just-concluded BBN show, her company paid for advert placement. She just recently got a cash infusion from a foreign investor, she is 25-year-old! Almost every day she and her brother have to call me on the phone because they are being stopped by the police. She eventually stopped using her Mercedes GLE for peace to reign.

    Kids less than 20 are doing skits and boom companies sign them up for adverts/ambassadors. Some do this for numerous companies. How much do you think they are being paid? How much do we think YouTubers make daily from constant visits of their page?

    Agric has moved from hoes/machetes to hydroponics/aquaponics/greenhouse farming etc. These and many are the things the oldies have refused to come to terms with!

    They don’t understand the fact that Lagos has become the tech hub of West Africa!

    They have refused to come to terms with seeing 29-year-old entrepreneurs owning companies valued at over $5m! You can’t be that rich unless you are Yahoo or a ritualist! That is why most of them agree with the police and their harassment! Most of them see these young upcoming success stories as a huge threat!

    An average policeman in Nigeria will never come to terms with a 26-year-old driving a Benz while he stands under the sun/rain with an AK47! First, he will envy and next he will hate!

    Not all youths are fraudsters! Youths don’t just work hard, they work smart! Yahoo guys steer clear of this…! You guys contribute to the mess we are in today!

     

    Chief Ojukwu (Twitter/@ChiefOjukwu) do not throw pearls at swines; do not have time for nonsense. Contact: chiefegwubiz@gmail.com

  • BREAKING: Lagos Speaker, Obasa in EFCC custody over alleged fraud

    BREAKING: Lagos Speaker, Obasa in EFCC custody over alleged fraud

    The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly Mudashiru Obasa, is in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission responding to allegations of fraud.

    The spokesman for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren who confirmed the invitation said Obasa was invited and he honoured the invitation at the Lagos zone office of the commission on Thursday.

    Obasa, who is a serving Speaker of the House on a second term, has been facing several claims of corruption.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG recalls that the Speaker had some months ago appeared before the House panel of enquiry on the corruption allegations levelled against him.

    Though Obasa denied most of the claims, he admitted that N80 million as estacode was approved for the training of the wives of 20 lawmakers in Dubai.

    “We gave N4m to each of the participants for air tickets, hotels, feedings and local travel. Air ticket to Dubai alone costs about N2m. Some of these allegations were raised for a crusade to get the Speaker out of office.

    “The House of Assembly is above common standard of excellence and we have to train people, and this comes at a cost. Learning is not cheap and I have never collected N80m for estacode at a go before,” he said.

    More details later…

     

  • Police file criminal charges against ex-Imo gov for using Fashola’s name for fraud

    Police file criminal charges against ex-Imo gov for using Fashola’s name for fraud

    The Office of the Inspector-General of Police has filed criminal charges against former Imo State Governor, Ikedi Ohakim for using the name of Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians.

    The Nigeria Police Force filed the criminal charge against the former governor, before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

    According to the office of the Inspector-General of Police in a charge number CR/993/2020, dated September 23, 2020, it accused Ohakim of fraud and false information.

    In addition, the Police alleged that Ohakim claimed in his statement to the police that he gave Lady Chinyere Lilian Amuchienwa N100 million for his governorship election in 2019, which he could not prove in the statement.

    The three-count charge against Ohakim was signed by one Stanley Nwodo.

    It stated thus: “That you Ikedi Ohakim on or about the 23rd day of May 2019 at Asokoro, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did unlawfully give false information against one Chinyere Amuchienwa that she threatened you with gun knowing it to be false and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 140 of the Penal Code Law of the Northern Nigeria, 1968.

    ”That you Ikedi Ohakim on or about the 23rd day of May 2019, at Asokoro, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did unlawfully give false information against one Chinyere Amuchienwa, that you have a plot of land for sale at Lagos State, knowing it to be false and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 140 of the Penal Code Law of the Northern Nigeria, 1968.

    “That you Ikedi Ohakim on or about the 23rd day of May 2019 at Asokoro, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did unlawfully use derogatory the name of Raji Fashola as the owner of the purported land situated at Ikeja, Lagos State and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 140 of the Penal Code Law of the Northern Nigeria, 1968.”

  • EFCC reopens fraud case against ex-Lagos Assembly Speaker

    EFCC reopens fraud case against ex-Lagos Assembly Speaker

    An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness yesterday told a Federal High Court in Lagos that it began investigating a former Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, following a petition accusing him of N500million monthly fraud.

    Adebayo Adeniyi, an EFCC investigator, told Justice Mohammed Liman that the probe unearthed some payments received by Ikuforiji, which were above the threshold allowed by the Money Laundering Act.

    Adeniyi testified as the EFCC’s first witness at the beginning of Ikuforiji’s alleged N338.8million money laundering trial.

    Ikuforiji is standing trial alongside his former personal assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi, on 54 counts bordering on the offences.

    They pleaded not guilty before Justice Mohammed Liman last December 11 and were allowed to continue on a N500 million bail granted them in 2012 when they were first arraigned.

    Led in examination by EFCC counsel Mr. Ekene Ihenacho, the witness stated that in June 2011, it received a petition alleging that the first defendant, Ikuforiji, was siphoning N500million monthly from the Lagos House of Assembly.

    He said the EFCC then began investigation and visited Lagos State House of Assembly, recovering from the office of the clerk, some documents which were instrumental to their investigation, while the clerk was invited to the commission.

    “We recovered some payment registers and when we went through them, we discovered that a lot of cash payments were made to the second defendant (Atoyebi). We invited him to explain why the payments were made to him.

    “He told us that the payments were meant for the first defendant (Ikuforiji), and when we interrogated the first defendant, he actually confirmed that the second defendant was collecting the money for him,” Adeniyi said.

    Justice Liman fixed October 14 for continuation of trial following the prosecution’s application for adjournment.

    According to the witness, some of the series of cash payments made to the second defendant were above the threshold allowed by the Money Laundering Act.

    When prompted to demonstrate portions of such payments, the witness said that in exhibit E, from the transaction of April 30, 2010, N3million was collected by the second defendant on behalf of the first defendant.

    “On April 27, 2010, N10million was collected in cash by the second defendant, while on May 6, 2010, the cash sum of N1.7million was also collected by the second defendant on behalf of the first,” Adeniyi said.

    Justice Liman fixed October 14 for continuation of trial following the prosecution’s application for adjournment.

    Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos, discharged both men of the same allegations in 2015 on the grounds that they had no case to answer.

    But the lower court’s decision was reversed by the Supreme Court, following which Ikuforiji and Atoyebi were last December 11 re-arraigned by the EFCC before Justice Liman.

  • Alleged fraud: Atiku reacts amidst reports of US placing him, family under close surveillance

    Alleged fraud: Atiku reacts amidst reports of US placing him, family under close surveillance

    Former vice-president Atiku Abubakar has reacted to the trending FINCEN files that detailed how he came under the radar of international financial surveillance.

    FINCEN is the acronym for US Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

    The FinCEN Files contained thousands of closely held US Treasury documents — among them, suspicious activity reports — investigated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and more than 100 newsrooms around the world.

    Nigeria’s Premium Times is part of the investigation and probed the Nigerian leg of the report, detailing the wire transfers that triggered flags about Atiku.

    In a statement, Atiku’s media adviser, Paul Ibe, said neither Atiku nor his wives were under any surveillance as they have not breached any laws.

    Ibe also said the dismissed the story as recycled and regurgitated lies about the person of Atiku Abubakar.

    The statement by Ibe reads:

    My attention has been drawn to recycled and regurgitated lies about the person of Atiku Abubakar.

    For the avoidance of doubt, Atiku Abubakar is not under any US watch list, neither has he been charged, or will ever be charged by the United States Justice Department or any other in a foreign jurisdiction.

    It will be recalled that these recycled lies were re-unearthed just before the February 23, 2019 Presidential election, and to put paid to them, His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, applied for and received a US visa, whereupon he embarked on a visit to the United States on January 17, 2019. He stayed at a hotel just miles to the United States Department of Justice.

    Atiku Abubakar in the course of that trip was also received in audience, by officials of the United States Government.

    These ‘new’ reports are a desperate gambit to recast these discredited accusations. They are meant to divert the attention of Nigerians from the recent statement by the Secretary of State of the United States, Mr Mike Pompeo, announcing visa and travel bans for certain unnamed but notorious individuals.

    Moreover, the timing of this report, less than 24 hours after the Edo state gubernatorial elections, should give some thought to thinking people.

    And considering the season that we are in, more of such jaundiced stories seeking to discredit Atiku Abubakar would come.

    However, it needs to be reiterated that the former Vice President and every member of his family keeps a clean business portfolio that has nothing to do with government resources and in conformity with local and foreign laws of respective countries”.

  • ‘Mama Boko Haram’ docked again, charged with fresh N97.4m fraud

    ‘Mama Boko Haram’ docked again, charged with fresh N97.4m fraud

    Aisha Alkali Wakil, a.k.a “Mama Boko Haram” was docked again before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri on Monday, slammed with a fresh fraud charge.

    She was charged by the EFCC with three fresh offences of fraud to the tune of N97,400,000.

    Each of the offences contained two -counts making a cumulative six-count charge before the court.

    Tahiru Alhaji Saidu Daura and Prince Lawal Shoyode were re-arraigned with Wakil.

    A count in the first offence read: “That you, Tahiru Saidu Daura, Aisha Alkali Wakil and Prince Lawal Shoyode, whilst being programme manager, chief executive officer and country director respectively of Complete Care and Aid Foundation (a non-governmental organisation), sometime in the year 2018 at Maiduguri, Borno State, within the jurisdiction of this honorable court with intent to defraud, induced one Saleh Ahmed Said of Shuad General Enterprises Ltd to deliver to you 3,000 (Three Thousand) bags of beans worth N71,400,000 (Seventy-One Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira only) , under the false pretence of executing a contract for the supply of same, which you made the said Saleh Ahmed Said to believe that you had the capacity to pay the entire contract sum upon execution, which you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Sections 1(1) (b) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud- Related Offences Act, 2006 respectively.”

    A count in the second offence read: “That you, Aisha Alkali Wakil, Tahiru Alhaji Saudi Daura, Prince Lawal Shoyode, whilst being chief executive officer, programme manager and country director, respectively of Complete Care and Aid Foundation (a non-governmental organization) and Saidu Mukhtar (at large) sometime in July, 2018 at Maiduguri, Borno State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N11,000,000.00 (Eleven Million Naira only) from one Muhammed Ambare of Mohammed Ambare Ventures under the false pretence of executing a purported contract of supply, installation and servicing of two units of x-ray machine Model 1800, which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”

    A count in the third offence read: “That you, Aisha Alkali Wakil, Tahiru Alhaji Saudi Daura, Prince Lawal Shoyode, whilst being chief executive officer, programme manager and country director, respectively of Complete Care and Aid Foundation (a non-governmental organization) and Saidu Mukhtar (at large) sometime in November, 2018 at Maiduguri, Borno State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N15,000,000.00 (Fifteen Million Naira only) , from one Hon. Bukar Kachalla of Hammiza Global Resources Limited under the false pretence of executing a purported contract of supply of three units of chemistry analyzer solar energy brand Model 1800 (UK Version), which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”

    They pleaded not guilty to the charge, prompting prosecution counsels, Benjamin Manji and Khalid Sanusi to ask for a trial date.

    They also prayed that the defendants be remanded in the custody of Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS).

    Justice Kumaliya adjourned the matter till October 5, 6, 8, 9, 12 and 13, 2020 respectively for trial and ordered that the defendants be remanded in the custody of the NCS.