EFCC Arraigns Pepple for Job Scam
Francis Okoye
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned one Lawrence Pepple (alias Engr. Mike Warmate) before Justice B. O Quadri of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt on a 20-count charge bordering on forgery and obtaining money by false pretence.
The accused according to EFCC sometime in June, 2013, while posing as Dr. Brown Charles, a manager in Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), collected the sum of N145, 000.00, from a victim, after promising to help employ his wife and son in the organization.
It was said, the victim who was taken in by Pepple’s guile, went ahead to recruit 28 other job seeker who paid N30,000 each to the accused.
Part of the money was paid in cash, while the rest was paid into the defendant’s account in a new generation bank.
One of the counts read, “that you, Lawrence Pepple (alias Engr. Mike Warmate) on or about the 27th June 2013, at Port Harcourt, within the Port Harcourt judicial division with intent to defraud obtained N33,000.00 (Thirty-three Thousand Naira) by false pretences from Bestman Dundee under the pretence that you will assist him secure a job in Nigeria LNG Limited, the pretext which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (a) of Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offence Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act”.
Justice Quadri adjourned the matter to September 29, 2015 for trial and remanded the accused person in prison custody.
In a related development, Justice Lambo Akanbi of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt has remanded one Emmanuel Sunday in prison custody, after he was arraigned by the EFCC July 8, on one count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretense to the tune of Five Hundred and Forty Three Thousand Naira only (N543, 000.00).
The sum was fraudulently obtained from Ajulibe David on the pretext of helping the victim to facilitate the lifting of crude oil.
Justice Akanbi however granted the accused bail in the sum of Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500, 00.00) and two sureties in like sum. Sureties must be a Level 16 Officer in a Federal Government establishment.
The matter was adjourned to October 14, 2015 for trial.