EFCC arraigns two over $13,000 fraud

Two men, Eze Okonkwo and Okechukwu Ariguzo, were yesterday arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Mohammed Aikawa of a Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly defrauding an Indian, Mr Yaser De Zhkam, of the sum of $13,000.

The suspects were docked on a 5-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence. They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.Upon their plea, Justice Aikawa admitted the two accused persons to bail in the sum of N1million each with one surety each in like sum. According to the judge, the surety must either be a Lagos resident with a landed property or a civil servant in either the employment of the federal or state government.

The accused persons were also directed to sign an undertaking that they would not delay the trial of the case. The matter has been adjourned to November 28 for commencement of trial. In the charge, the anti-graft agency alleged that the accused persons, between October and November 2016, fraudulently obtained the money from the Indian under the guise of helping to facilitate registration of some Indian products with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

The accused persons were alleged to have forged a NAFDAC letter dated June 9, 2016, with the caption, “Notification of Product Approval,” to facilitate the alleged fraud. They were also said to have forged a NAFDAC certificate of registration numbered 01-8097, falsely representing that it emanated from the office of the Director General of NAFDAC.

They were also accused of forging another letter dated Oct. 18, 2016 and captioned, “Re: Confirmation of File Number NAFDAC/ENU/DRH, APS/092276/016 for Immediate Issuance of NAFDAC Certificate.” They were equally accused of making false representation that the letter was purportedly signed by one Mrs. Yetunde Oni, as the Executive Director of NAFDAC.

The offences were said to have contravened the provisions of Section 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act No. 14 of 2006, as well as Section 465 of the Criminal Code Act Cap 938 Laws of the Federation, 2004.