EFCC Docks Two For N800m Fraud
Olorunfemi Ojo
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Monday, arraigned Mohammed Abubakar Kent and Precious Otsu before Justice Sylvanus Chinedu Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja on an 11-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, personation, forgery and obtaining money by false pretence.
The suspects allegedly conspired and forged document in the name of Little Acorns Turkey Project Limited and fraudulently defrauded the company to the tune of N800m (Eight Hundred Million Naira) over a property development scheme at Lokogoma, Abuja.
Count one reads,
“that you Mohammed Abubakar Kent, sometime in, 2011 at Abuja, in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory did commit an illegal to wit: theft of the sum of Three Hundred and Two Million Naira (N302, 000, 000.00) contrary to section 286 of the Penal Code Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990 and punishable under section 287 of the same Code”.
Another count reads,
“that you Precious Otsu sometime between January 2005 and January 2012 at Abuja, in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory dishonestly permitted the illegal withdrawals of money from the account of Little Acorns Turkey Project Limited in violation of the account opening mandate and thereby committed criminal breach of trust contrary to section 311 of the Penal Code Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990 and punishable under section 312 of the same Code”.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the charge preferred against them.
In view of their plea, counsel to EFCC, Onjefu Obe urged the court to fix a date for trial to commence and remand the accused persons in prison custody. However, counsel to the first and second accused, Edwin Inegedu and Dania Tony Abdullahi told the court that they had filed application for the bail of their clients saying, the offence is bailable.
The prosecuting counsel, Obe, however objected on the ground that the accused persons have failed to honour the terms of administrative bail earlier granted them by the Commission.
He also told the court that the bail application was served on him on June 6, and that he needed time to respond.
Justice Oriji after listening to the submissions of counsel ordered the first and second accused persons to be remanded in Kuje and Suleja prison respectively.
The case was adjourned to June 11, 2014 for hearing on the bail application.