The Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday, February 8, 2017 arraigned the
quartet of Umar Audu Bida, Truth Igogori, Ifenyinwa Nwankwesiri
and Ogechukwu
Obaji before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama,
Abuja on a 9-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery and obtaining by
false pretence to the tune of $1million (One Million US Dollars).
The accused were
arraigned alongside four companies: Universal Contractors, Lambda Energy
Services Limited, Double Wonder Concept Limited, and ICS Energy Services
Limited.
Bida and his
co-accused sometime in 2014 allegedly conspired to defraud one Donald Latella
of North Park LLC of $1million under the pretext of supplying about two million
barrels of Bonny Light Crude Oil.
The offence
contravenes Section 8 (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related
Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.
Count 2 of the
charge reads:
"That you, Umaru Audu Bida, Truth Igogori,
Ifenyinwa Nwankwesiri, Ogechukwu Obaji, Universal Contractors, Lambda Energy
Services LTD, Double Wonder Concept Limited, and ICS Energy Services Limited and
others now at large, sometime in 2014, within the Judicial Division of the
Federal High Court of Nigeria attempted to obtain the sum of $1,000,000.00 (One
million United States Dollars) from Donald Latella of North Park LLC under the
false pretence of supplying about 2 million Barrels of Bonny Light Crude Oil
which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section
8 (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and
punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act”.
The accused persons
pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Upon their plea,
counsel to the EFCC, Onjefu Obe, asked the court for a date to present his
witnesses and for the accused to be remanded in prison custody pending trial.
However, Ammeh O.
Ammeh representing 1st and 5th defendants and R. O. Attabo standing for 2nd,
3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th defendants, through oral applications prayed the
court to admit their clients to bail.
Justice Nyako held
that the court was a court of record and asked the defence to make their
applications formal.
The judge,
thereafter, adjourned to Thursday, February 16, 2017, for hearing of the bail
applications and ordered that the accused persons to be remanded in prison
custody
Wilson Uwujaren
Head Media & Publicity
8th February, 2017
Saharareporters
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