His Lordship, Hon. Justice Sanusi Kado of the National
Industrial Court of Nigeria, Abuja Judicial Division on Monday 14th
January 2019 granted an interim injunction, restrained Attorney
General of the Federation And Minister of Justice -1st defendant,
Chairman, Code of Conduct Tribunal -2nd defendant, Code of Conduct
Bureau (3rd defendant) and Inspector General of Police (6th
defendant from further proceeding with hearing between The Federal
Republic of Nigeria v. Justice Onnoghen Nkanu Walter Samuel pending
the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice for
Interlocutory injunction.
The claimant filed the Motion Ex-parte sought among other for AN
ORDER of Interim Injunction restraining the 2nd Defendant from
further proceeding with the hearing of Charge No. CCT/ABJ/01/19
between The Federal Republic of Nigeria V. Justice Onnoghen Nkanu
Walter Samuel, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion
on Notice filed in this suit.
The applicant Counsel J.U.K Igwe SAN filed the application and
Affidavit of support of the Motion Exparte for Interim
Injunction.
After carefully appraising the facts and circumstance that led
to the institution of this action, His Lordship, Hon. Justice
Sanusi Kado expressed thus;
“In view of the imminent danger of having the res in this suit
being destroyed before the hearing of the motion on notice for
interlocutory injunction and the affidavit evidence before the
court, I am satisfied that the applicant in this case has made out
a case for the court’s intervention to prevent and preserve the res
from dissipation.
“An order of interim injunction restraining the 1st, 2nd 3rd and
6th defendants from further proceeding with hearing of change No.
CCT/ABJ/01/19, between The Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Justice
OnnoghenNkanu Walter Samuel pending the hearing and determination
of the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory injunction.
“An order of interim injunction restraining the defendants in
this suit, either by themselves, their privies, servants, agents,
assigns or howsoever described from forcing the HonourableJustice
OnnoghenNkanu Walter Samuel, from vacating his office as Chief
Justice of Nigeria, pending the hearing and determination of the
motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.
EFCC Internet Fraudster
Alhaji Rex
Fraudsters: EFCC Nabs Alhaji Ugly Rex, Bishop Giniko,
Others
Internet Fraudster: EFCC Nabs Alhaji Ugly Rex and Two Others
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,
Port Harcourt Zonal Office, have arrested three suspected internet
fraudsters in a sting operation.
The suspects: Adugwe Rex Odinaka(aka Alhaji Ugly Rex), Igwe
Prince Chukwuebuka (aka Trad Marley) and Ifeanyi Nicholas
Chukwulenwa, were arrested in Omoku, Rivers State.
Preliminary investigations showed that Chukwuebuka and
Chukwulenwa were into romance and dating scams and had successfully
defrauded three Americans in the process.
Odinaka, on his part, engaged in “laundering of fraudulently
obtained gift cards”, specifically iTunes and Amazon cards.
The suspects are operating in a syndicate. Other members of the
syndicate are being tracked and funds fraudulently realized from
the scam are also being tracked. The suspects would soon be charged
to court.
Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity
……………………………………………………..
EFCC Fraudulent Bishop Giniko Obi
EFCC Arrests Bishop for Defrauding in God’s Name
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Benin Zonal
Office has arrested a Bishop and suspected fraudster, Giniko Obi,
for allegedly defrauding thousands of people of various sums of
money running into millions of naira, in the guise of helping them
“fight poverty”.
Obi, founder of Beloved Gideon Foundation, based in Agbor, Delta
State, with outreaches in Bayelsa, Onitsha, Lagos, Port Harcourt,
Abuja and Benin City, however, denied any involvement in fraud
claiming that he was only “doing the will of God by trying to help
the people fight poverty”.
According to him, it was his desire and God’s will to see people
prosper that led him into operating what appears to be a Ponzi
Scheme. Obi who claim to be a consecrated Bishop, possessing a
diploma in theology explains thus:
“We write books such as ‘24 Nuggets for Successful Living’, ‘36
Nuggets for Successful Living’, ‘48 Nuggets for Successful Living’.
We organise seminars and conferences on how to be successful. We
tell the people to subscribe to these publications. If you
subscribe with N10, 800, we give you N15, 000. If you subscribe
with N18, 000, we give you N23, 000. I had about 30,000 subscribers
and I was paying them”.
According to him, when he left Agbor for Lagos, his desire was
to expand his subscription base but his subscribers were
impatient.
“If they allowed me to hold the conference in Lagos, I would
have paid them,” he claimed.
However, some of his victims who have continued to throng the
EFCC office, since his arrest, described his as a “fraud”. One of
them, Janet Amaka Okafor, said the Bishop sold a dummy to them by
claiming that he was from the famous Gideons International, based
in the United States.
She said: “He organised seminars in Agbor market that he was
from Gideons International and that their mission was to help
eradicate poverty in Nigeria.
“He told us that unlike in the past when Gideons International
distributed Bibles and Christian literatures, their mission now was
to eradicate poverty”.
On how she became a victim of the scheme, Okafor, 35, who claims
she has never participated in any ponzi scheme in the past said she
fell for his tricks because the “Bishop” swore with the bible.
“The Bishop knelt down and swore with the Bible. He convinced us
that he was from Texas, USA and we believed him. I subscribed with
N10, 800 and he paid me N15, 000. It was after this that he engaged
over 60 of us as canvassers. I brought many people including my
relations and friends. All together, they invested over N5
million”.
Another victim, Bessie Nwadibire, 67, said the Bishop was very
deceptive from the beginning.
“When he came to the market he gave out drinks and dashed some
people money as much as N50, 000 as he said the poverty rate in
Nigeria was too high,” Nwadibire said, praying and hoping that the
Bishop will be made to refund her money.
Expressing gratitude that the EFCC has arrested the Bishop, she
said, “Before he was arrested, we went into hiding, because all the
people who invested their money into the business through me have
threatened to kill me unless I refund their money. The money is
over N8, 000, 000 (Eight Million Naira) only”.
The same tale of woes has become the lot of Wisdom Aderemor, a
civil servant based in Agbor. Okpuzor who said she had to flee her
home for fear of being attacked described the Bishop as “callous
and evil”.
The suspect will soon be arraigned in court.
Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity
……………………………………………………………………
N15m Fraud: Dangote Staff Bag Five Years Jail
Term
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on January
14, 2019 secured the conviction and sentencing of one Adewale
Dalmeida, an employee of Dangote Cement, Ibese, Ogun State, to five
years imprisonment before Justice O. J. Bamgbose of the High Court
of Ogun State, Abeokuta for an offence bordering on conspiracy and
stealing to the tune of N15, 000, 000 (Fifteen Million Naira)
only.
Dalmeida along with Ibrahim Lawal, Lukman Adam and Afeez Olaniba
were arraigned on December 6, 2018 on a two-count charge bordering
on conspiracy and stealing to the tune of N15 million.
The complainant, Dangote Cement, alleged that Dalmeida, a Fleet
Analyst, Dangote Cement; Lawal, Chief Driver, Dangote Cement; Adam,
a Ghanaian driver, Dangote Cement and Olaniba, who is an agent of a
contractor to Dangote Cement, diverted nine trucks carrying 800
bags of cement each valued at over N15 million.
The defendants were said to have diverted the trucks carrying
the bags of cement, which were meant for the company’s customers in
Togo, using fake identification cards and number plates.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read
to them.
The Judge remanded the defendants in Ibara Prison custody,
Abeokuta, Ogun State and adjourned till December 17, 2018 for
hearing of their bail applications and commencement of trial.
At the next adjourned sitting on December 17, 2018, counsel to
the first defendant, Adewumi Adisa, told the court that he had
filed a bail application on behalf of his client, Dalmedia, and
also expressed the intention of his client to change his earlier
plea of not guilty to guilty.
Consequently, the court had ordered the charge to be read to the
defendant, who pleaded guilty to the two-count charge.
Also, counsel to second defendant, Z. D. Garuba, told the court
that he had not filed any application on behalf of his client,
Lawal, because he wanted to enter a plea bargain.
Counsel to the third defendant, Abolanle Davies, and counsel to
the fourth defendant, K. O. Moshud, had also told the court about
bail applications on behalf of their clients.
In his response, the prosecution counsel, Idris Mohammed, had
told the court that he was ready to proceed with the trial of the
third and fourth defendants.
He had also prayed the court to take a very short date for a
review of the facts and adoption of the plea bargain.
Consequently, Justice Bamgbose had adjourned the matter to
Friday, December 21, 2018 for the review of the facts and adoption
of plea bargain.
At the close of the review of the facts and adoption of plea
bargain agreement, Justice Bamgbose had convicted the defendants on
both counts on December 21, 2018 and adjourned to January 14, 2019
for sentencing of the convicts.
At today’s proceedings, Justice Bamgbose sentenced the first
convict to two and a half years imprisonment on each count. The
sentences are to run concurrently from the date of arrest and
detention, being September 14, 2018.
The Judge also ordered that the money and property recovered
from the convict should be forfeited to Dangote Cement.
The second, third and fourth defendants were each sentenced to
eight months imprisonment on each count. The sentences are to run
concurrently from September 12, 2018.
The Judge ordered that the N1.6 million recovered from second
defendant should be forfeited to Dangote Cement.
Also, the total sum of N900, 000 recovered from the third
defendant was ordered to be forfeited to Dangote Cement.
The money recovered from the fourth defendant was also ordered
to be forfeited to Dangote Cement.
The convicts were all ordered to enter into a bond with the
Commission to be of good of character and never to commit any crime
again in or outside the country.
Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity