Tag: EFCC

By Biola Lawal

Port Harcourt ( Flowerbudnews): The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured the conviction and imprisonment of a fake United States soldier,   Chukwuema Samuel Andrew.

He was arraigned on two-count charges bordering on advance fee fraud contrary to Section 1(1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act, a statement by EFCC Spokesman, Dele Oyewale stated.

Count one of the charges reads: “That you, Chukwuema Samuel Andrew (a.k.a Mary Parlier) sometime in April, 2021 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court with intent to defraud, did obtain the sum of $5,300 (Five Thousand Three Hundred Dollars) under the pretext of being Mary Parlier, a female soldier serving in Yemen as a computer operator, a pretext which to your knowledge was false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (a) of the Advance Fee and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”

He pleaded guilty when the charges were read to him, prompting prosecution counsel, B. O. Agala to pray the court to convict and sentence him accordingly, while defence counsel P. U. Ogbuehi prayed the judge to temper justice with mercy stating that his client was a first -time offender with no previous criminal records.

Justice Ajoku convicted and  sentenced Andrew to  30 months imprisonment.  Besides his prison term, he forfeited his Redmi mobile phone and iPhone 12 Pro to the Federal government and deposed to an affidavit of good behaviour before the court.

The convict’s journey to the Correctional Centre began when he was nabbed by EFCC operatives for internet fraud sometime in June, 2023, at Golf Estate, Port Harcourt in an operation code named “Eagle Sweep.” His profiling revealed that he became involved in different shades of cybercrime including dating and romance scam in 2021.

The $5,300 proceeds of crime he earned was sent to him as itunes cards, steam cards and Bitcoins through his vendor who converted them to naira values via his Access Bank and United Bank for  Africa accounts.

In another development,   EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede has stated that, individuals who obstruct the Commission or its authorized officers in the exercise of their duties run afoul of Section 38(a)(b) of the Commission’s Establishment Act. The same, he said, also applies to those who fail to comply with lawful enquiries or demands made by authorized officers of the Commission.

He  disclosed this during a lecture organized by officers of Advanced and Intelligence Intermediate Course of the Nigerian Navy on the “History, Roles and Organization of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC” at the Navy Intelligence School Ubima, Rivers State.

The EFCC Chairman, who was represented at the event by Chief Superintendent of EFCC, CSE Itoro Levi Azuogu, Head CTGI 2, Port Harcourt Zonal Command, stated that the Commission had the constitutional power to seek and receive information from any person, authority or entity without inhibitions in the cause of its investigations. He, therefore, enjoined individuals and entities to be forthcoming with information required of them by the Commission as refusal to do so constitutes a criminal offence.

To further educate the public on the responsibilities of the Commission, Olukoyede listed the scope of EFCC’s mandate to include the combatting of “non-violent criminal and illicit activities, committed with the objective of earning illegitimate wealth, either by individuals or a group, organized in any manner that violates existing legislation governing the economic activities of the government, which includes any form of fraud,  money laundering, embezzlement, bribery, looting, all forms of malpractices, smuggling, bunkering, tax evasion, illegal oil bunkering, currency counterfeiting, intellectual property theft amongst others.”

The Deputy Commandant, Navy Intelligence School, G.O. Babtunde, in his closing remarks, thanked CSE Azuogu for the insightful lecture. (Flowerbudnews):

By Biola Lawal

Abuja (Flowerbudnews): The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,is set  hold a multiple stakeholders’ national dialogue to address the challenges of youth involvement in cybercrimes.

 The dialogue, which would hold in Abuja at the Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja would feature a lecture themed: “Youth, Religion and the Fight Against Corruption,” by  Dr. John Momoh, Chairman Channels Television Media Group.

The lecture would explore the role of  religion as a tool of redirecting the minds of  youths away from the snare of cybercrimes, a statement by Dele Oyewale, EFCC Spokesman, stated.

Panelists expected at the event include,  Vice chancellors of Nigerian Universities,  Rectors  and Provosts of other tertiary institutions, religious leaders, traditional rulers, youth groups, civil society groups and political leaders.

Other highpoints planned for the event include the launch of Interfaith Preaching and Teaching Manual, developed by the Interfaith Anti-corruption Advisory Committee (IAAC) of the EFCC, for doctrinal instruction against corruption in both the Christian and Islamic faiths as well as the Commission’s Fraud Risk Assessment Prevention and Control Project for Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs.  Both publications will be presented to the public by the guest of honour, His Excellency, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

 The event is inspired by the drive of the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Ola Olukoyede for multi-dimensional stakeholders’ involvement in the fight against economic and financial crimes.(Flowerbudnews)

By Biola Lawal
Lagos (Flowerbudnews):  Justice  Deinde I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos has convicted and sentenced one Ohaguim Ifeayin Emmanuel to one year imprisonment for dating scam.

He was however, given an option of N200,000 fine, a statement by Dele Oyewale, Head, EFCC Media  and Publicity disclosed.

Emmanuel, a graduate of Computer Science from Chukwuemeka Odumegwu  University, Uli,  Anambra State , was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal  Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on January 19, 2024, on  two-count charges bordering on cybercrime.

One of the counts reads: “ That you, Ohaguim Ifeayin Emmanuel,  sometime in October, 2023, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to gain advantage for yourself, fraudulently impersonated one “Benjamin Valdez” by holding yourself out as such on your Google Account and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(2) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015.”

He pleaded “guilty” to the  charges when they were read to him. Following his guilty plea,  prosecution counsel, A.S. Wara, called on Usman Ahmed, an operative of the EFCC, to  review the facts of the case .

Usman told the court that the defendant was arrested sometime in October, 2023, following  credible intelligence  received by the Commission on the activities of some internet fraudsters operating in Fine County  Estate, Orchid Road, Lekki, Lagos State.

According to him, an iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone XR, iPhone X and Mercedez Benz C300 were recovered from him at the point of arrest.

“Upon his arrest, he was duly processed and the defendant volunteered his statements.  Investigations were conducted and forensic evidence were printed out from his phone.

In his statement, he confessed he was into dating scam.  Wara further told the court that the defendant confessed to have benefited 950 USD and N3.2m from his involvement in the criminal activity.

Wara ,therefore, sought to tender, in evidence, the defendant’s extrajudicial statements, some items recovered from him: iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone XR, iPhone X and forensic investigation documents print out.

They were all admitted as exhibits by the court.

Justice Dipeolu, consequently, convicted and sentenced him to one year imprisonment, with an option of fine of N200,000( Two Hundred Thousand Naira).

The Judge also ordered that the mobile phones  and Mercedes Benz C300 recovered from him be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.(Flowerbudnews)

Abuja: Mr Mubarak Isa, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness, has told a Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja that Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, immediate-past Head of Service (HoS), did not disclose some property she owned in her asset declaration form.

Isa, an Assistant Superintendent of EFCC, told Justice James Omotosho on Friday while testifying as the 7th prosecution witness (PW7) in the on-going fraud allegation preferred against Oyo-Ita and others.

The PW7 told the court that he made the discovery when he joined a team of other EFCC investigators, comprising of Hamma Bello and Rukkayat Ibrahim, to investigate the ex-HoS.

According to the witness, sometime in 2019, Oyo-Ita filled a declaration of assets form which was witnessed by Mr Tahir Mamman at the EFCC office.

”In the course of investigation, we found that personal accounts in First City Monument Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, ECOBANK; Frontline Ace Global Ltd and Asanaya Projects Ltd accounts in Zenith and Fidelity Banks, all linked to Oyo-Ita were not disclosed in the form.

“Analysis into these accounts showed payment from Asanaya Projects to Multipurpose Infrastructural Development Company.

“This necessitated an interview with the Managing Director, Mr Emmanuel Obiri, and he disclosed that he met with Oyo-Ita, who showed interest in owning property in Lagos as a fallback after her retirement.

“A total payment of N65 million was paid by other companies for two numbers of four bedroom terrace and two numbers of shops all in Lagos for the sum of N94 million.

“These properties were also not disclosed in the asset declaration form,’’ the witness told the court.

When asked under cross examination if he was aware Oyo-Ita was neither a director nor a shareholder in the two companies he mentioned, the witness told the court that he did not know.

EFCC’s counsel, Halidu Mohammed, sought to tender the declaration form as evidence in the case which was not opposed by the defence lawyers and Justice Omotosho admitted it as an exhibit.

Earlier, Mr Marvis Enabulele, a staff of Fidelity Bank and the 6th prosecution witness (PW6), told the court that the bank never reported any illegal activity on the account Oyo-Ita operated with them.

Enabulele, who tendered the statement of account of Oyo-Ita as well as that of Prince Mega Logistics Ltd in evidence, said that the proper procedure was followed in opening the accounts.

The witness further told the court that he generated the documents by downloading the account statement from the bank’s system and then prepared a certificate of identification.

The judge admitted all the documents tendered in evidence and adjourned the matter until Jan. 23 and 26 for continuation of hearing.

The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that Oyo-Ita and her co-defendants were, on Jan. 18, 2023, arraigned by the anti-graft agency on an 18-count charge of N3 billion graft.

She was arraigned alongside her Special Assistant, Ubong Effiok; Frontline Ace Global Services Limited; Asanaya Projects Ltd; Garba Umar and his companies, Slopes International Ltd and Gooddeal Investments Ltd.
Other defendants include U & U Global Services Ltd, belonging to Mr Effiok, and Prince Mega Logistics Ltd.

They were all arraigned for alleged fraud in relation to duty tour allowance (DTA), estacodes, conference fees and receiving kickbacks on contracts.

The defendants all pleaded not guilty to the charge.

NAN reports that Oyo-Ita and her co-defendants were earlier being tried before Justice Taiwo Taiwo of a sister court before he retired in July 2022.

They were arranged before Justice Taiwo on March 23, 2020 on same count charge. / Flowerbudnews

By Biola Lawal

Abuja (Flowerbudnews): The National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has commended the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede for the ongoing transformation of the Commission under his leadership.

The NSA, who gave the commendation on Tuesday, during the inauguration of the new office complex of the  EFCC  Enugu Zonal Command, said that Nigerians were taking note of  Olukoyede’s impact.

“I am particularly delighted by the transformation of this complex and indeed the transformation of the EFCC itself. Mr. Chairman, you are doing a good job. You are not just transforming the physical spaces and buildings but the EFCC itself.

‘:I can assure you that people are taking note of that and I want to commend the Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede and his team for the vision to put up this magnificent edifice for use by personnel of the Zone”, he said.

While charging the Commission to take a front row in the effort to check the laundering of proceeds of violent crimes like terrorism, kidnapping and banditry in order to restore growth and stability in the nation’s economy, he stressed that, “you have the biggest role and responsibility in the forefront to get things back to order. Lot of things were done wrongly and mismanaged. You must clean up, sanitise, and demonstrate that you are one of our best. Be honest, be just, be fair. That is what you are known for”, he said.

While calling on other security agencies to collaborate with the Commission in achieving its mandate,  the NSA acknowledged the modest contributions of the Commission in checking illicit financial flows especially in the Designated Non Financial Sector, DNFS,  through the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering, SCUML.

He added that there was still room for improvement,saying, ‘“No agency can operate alone without the support and collaboration of stakeholders.

”I therefore call on other security and law enforcement organisations in this Zone to work with the EFCC to ensure that it achieves its mandate. This is how we can change our country. Stand by one another, support one another, be one”,  he said.

In his remarks, the Executive Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi, Mbah,  said the commissioning of the edifice reconfirmed  the commitment of the nation to sustain the war against corruption.

“The commitment is well founded in view of the many proven negative effects corruption has on economic development.

For example, corruption is globally acknowledged to reduce the adoption of innovative strategies within economies. Secondly, it tends to discourage direct investments both foreign and domestic while reducing the rate of emergence of new jobs and increasing the prices of products and services”, he said.

The governor, who was confident that the commissioning of the new structure will go a long way in boosting the effectiveness of the Commission’s operations in the region, commended the Commission for the sterling work it has done in fighting corruption and graft across all segments of society since its inauguration.

Earlier,  in his opening remarks, the anti-graft czar said one of his desires is to provide a conducive environment for staff to boost their productivity in achieving the mandate of the Commission.

“Ladies and  gentlemen , we cannot over emphasise the importance of a befitting and functional office environment for personnel motivation and productivity.

This is being met for the personnel of the Enugu Command today and my vision is to ensure that staff in all EFCC outputs work in decent offices with facilities that compare with other law enforcement organisations in the world”, he said.

While assuring citizens of Enugu State that fraudsters have no place in the State, the Chairman called on the Civil Society Organisations in the South East to collaborate with the command.

“I want to assure his Excellency and indeed the citizens of Enugu State and the entire South East that fraudsters have no place to operate in the Zone. This pledge is a statement of conviction as the Commission’s pedigree speaks for itself.

“I call on the CSOs in the South East to come forward and work with the Command. Let every stakeholder in the anti-corruption community rally behind the EFCC by providing support in whatever way possible to the Commission to deliver on its mandate.

It is often said that if we walk alone, we may go fast but if we walk together, we will go far. Let us walk together and will be able to corporately break the fang of corrupt practices”.

Olukoyede thereafter charged officers of the Command to be doubly committed to the mandate of the Commission. Highlights of the event include, planting of trees in front of the edifice by the NSA, the Governor, and the EFCC’s Chairman.  Thereafter, Olukoyede led them,  including other heads of sister security agencies on a tour of the new structure. (Flowerbudnews)

 By Biola Lawal

Abuja: (Flowerbudnews): The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has established fourteen Integrity and Zero Tolerance Clubs in Sokoto and Kebbi States.

The clubs, established between April and December, 2023 include nine in Sokoto and five in Kebbi States, Dele Oyewale, EFCC Spokesperson disclosed in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

Those established in Sokoto state are based in Usman Dan Fodio University, Usman Dan Fodio  University Staff Secondary School,  Usman Dan Fodio University Staff Primary School,  Shehu Shagari College of Education, Shehu Shagari College of Education Staff Secondary School, Shehu Shagari College of Education Staff Primary School,  Gamji School of Health Technology,  Usmaniya School of Health Technology and Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital, Kware.

In Kebbi, five schools where the clubs are established are: Kebbi Federal University Birnin Kebbi,  Kalgo,  Kebbi State University of Science and Technology,  Aliero,  College of Education Argungu,  Umaru Gwandu Polytechnic, and  Federal Government Girls College Gwandu.

Explaining the rationale for their establishment, Head,  Enlightenment and Reorientation of the EFCC,  Assistant Commander of the EFCC,  ACE11 Aisha Mohammed said  that Zero Tolerance Clubs at A-level institutions and Integrity Clubs at O-level schools across Nigeria were ”measures for ridding the country of all forms of economic and financial crimes as encapsulated in the vision of the EFCC.”

While presenting the Operational Manual of these Clubs and administering the Oath of Membership, Head, Public Affairs of the Sokoto Command of the EFCC, ACE11 Kamilu Ibrahim Gebi assures members of the club that the EFCC will continue to depend on them to serve as foot soldiers of the Commission by being role models in their various institutions and reporting any suspicious acts they notice to the EFCC.

 In   their responses, heads of the institutions in the two states commended the EFCC  “ for its laudable initiative aimed at catching them young by creating platforms  through which the epidemic of internet fraud  can be tackled headlong”.  They also gave their commitment to offering free hands to the clubs in the conduct of their activities.   (Flowerbudnews)