The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday 25 July, 2018 arraigned the dou of Temitope Owolani (alias Patra Raphael) and Godwin Iyetor (alias Engineer) before Justice Adamu Turaki of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. They were arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence.

Specifically, the  duo are being prosecuted for allegedly defrauding one Isiaku Ahmadu the sum of N1,500,000.00 (One Million Five Hundred Thousand  Naira only)  purportedly for the purchase of a Toyota Hiace bus.

 

According to the petitioner, on 6 December,  2017, Ahmed transferred the sum of N1.5million to Enwerem Christian's Eko bank account number 6018268684 as a part-payment  for the purchase of the bus.  After confirming receipt of  the payment, the suspects neither delivered the bus to him nor refunded  the money he paid to them.

 

One of the counts read:  "that you Temitope Patience Owolani (alias Patra Raphael), Godwin Iyetor (alias Engineer), Enwerem Christian (alias Mayor), now at large, and Ahmed Yakubu Mokawo (now at large) on or about the 6th of December 2017 at Port Harcourt within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud did obtain the sum of One Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira only from one Isiaku Ahmed as money meant for the sale of a Toyota Hiace Bus to him, a pretext which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(1) (a) and (2) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act".

In view of the plea of the defendants, prosecution counsel,  Tanko Iko applied for a date for commencement of trial and for the defendants to  be remanded in prison custody. 

 

However, counsel for the first and second defendants:  M.O. Saleh and D.D Danjuma told the court that they needed to file a bail application.

 

The bail processes could, however,  not be concluded owing to the vacation session of the court. The defendants were remanded in prison custody for the matter to be reassigned to a vacation judge.

 

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                                                                                  26 July, 2018