EFCC Arraigns Ex-NLNG Cooperative Chief, Four Others for N207m Fraud
By Adetokunbo Fakeye
Nigeria anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned Julius Ola Peters, Emeka Iloegbunam, Ijeoma David Alanza, Dinijocs Nigeria Limited and Jonathan Wallang before Justice Ishaq U. Bello of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, sitting in Maitama, Abuja on a 12-count charge bordering on forgery and obtaining money under false pretences to the tune of N207, 000, 000,000 (Two Hundred and Seven Billion Naira).Peters and Iloegbunam, who were former President and Vice- President respectively of the NLNG Staff Bonny Co-operative Investment and Credit Society Limited, alongside Alanza and Dinijocs, allegedly obtained the sum of N1, 220,000,000.00 (One Billion, Two Hundred and Twenty Two Million Naira) in excess of N830, 000,000.00 (Eight Hundred and Thirty Million Naira) from the cooperative society under the pretext of buying a plot of land on behalf of the members of the NLNG cooperative society.
One of the counts reads: “That you Julius Ola Peters, Emeka Iloegbunam being the former president and vice president respectively of the NLNG Staff Bonny Co-operative Investment and Credit Society Limited, Ijeoma David Alanza and Dinijocs Nigeria Limited sometime between August, 2011 and January 2012 in Abuja within the Jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N1,220,000,000.00 (One Billion, Two Hundred and Twenty Million Naira) by false pretences in excess of the actual purchase price of N830,000,000.00 (Eight Hundred and Thirty Million Naira)only from the NLNG Staff Bonny Co-operative Investment and Credit Society Limited under the pretext that same was consideration for buying a plot of land viz: Plot No.1, Idu-Sabo District, Cadastral Zone D04, measuring 643398 Hectares covered by file no: MISC 106282 from Larix Company Limited for the benefit and on behalf of members of the NLNG Staff Bonny Co-operative Investment and Credit Society Limited and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
The accused, pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to them.In view of their pleas, counsel to EFCC, Onejefu Obe, prayed the court to fix a date for trial.Counsel to the second accused person, K. Chukwudi, SAN, prayed the court to admit the accused to bail, adding that the offence is bailable.He also informed the court that the accused persons are on administrative bail.Obe raised no objection to the bail application.
Justice Bello, while admitting the accused persons to bail ordered them to continue the bail terms earlier granted them by the Commission.The case has been adjourned to June 30, 2015 for commencement of trial.