Fake Lawyer Nabbed By EFCC for N7m Scam
Adetokunbo Fakeye
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC operatives have arrested a fake lawyer, identified as Thankgod Okachi Echem in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for defrauding his ” client”, a sum of N7,000,000.
Okachi, who confessed to be a School Certificate holder, according to the agency spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, was arrested based on a petition to the EFCC by one of his “clients”: Mr. Jonny Wali who alleged that the fake lawyer defrauded him of the sum of N7,000,000, being part of the money awarded him by a Rivers State High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt, as compensation in a legal battle involving him and the former Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) now Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company.
It was learnt that Wali reportedly sued the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company in a matter bordering on land trespass in suit number PHC/468/09 before Justice W.A.Chey Chey of the Rivers State High Court and was awarded the sum of N10,000,000( Ten Million Naira only) as compensation.
However, the company failed to pay the compensation to him.
In seeking redress for the payment of the money, he reportedly employed the legal services of Thankgod Okachi Echem and Felix Agbarake (Thank God/ Felix & Co. Norugema Chambers).
In 2015, the court ruled in his favour and granted another sum of N8,000,000( Eight Million Naira only) as the accumulated interest on the initial N10,000,000 granted as compensation by the court.
A sum of N18, 000,000( Eighteen Million Naira only) was consequently paid by the Electricity company to him through Echem’s chambers.
The anti-graft revealed that trouble crept into the whole matter when Echem(who was later found to be a fake lawyer) connived with his colleague: Felix Agbarake and opened an account with the First City Monument Bank, FCMB, in the name of Wali, without his consent.
A sum of N7,000,000( Seven Million Naira only) was subsequently paid into the account and cashed accordingly.
When Echem was confronted with these facts, he owned up and confessed that he was just a School Certificate holder posturing as a lawyer.
A house search conducted on his premises yielded some incriminating documents including a wig and robe belonging to Thank God Okachi Echem.
Uwujaren disclosed that Echem and his professional colleague: Agbarake will be charged to court soon.
