The Port Harcourt’s Zonal office
of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday arraigned a
fake ‘Ibrahim Magu’ said to be using the name of the EFCC boss to harass and
blackmail senior officials of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, for
bribes to ‘kill’ spurious corruption investigations.
The said impersonator was
arraigned before Justice M. L Abubakar of the Federal High Court sitting in
Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
EFCC Spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren,
in a statement said the suspect was facing three-count charges bordering on
obtaining by false pretences contrary to Section 8(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud
and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the
same Act.
Uwujaren affirmed, “Terfa got
into trouble when he was arrested in Juanita Hotel, Port Harcourt, Rivers State
where he was holding a meeting with some Directors of the NDDC over a phony
offer, to remove their names from the list of individuals being investigated by
the EFCC. He allegedly contacted the Directors claiming to be representing the
EFCC Chairman. He reminded them of the forensic audit of the accounts of the
NDDC ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari and assured them that their names
would be removed from the audit.
“Investigations revealed that the
defendant is a political hustler, roaming around ministries and government
offices searching for information that can enable him swindle relevant
personalities”.
One of the count charges read:
“That you Robert Terfa Swem on or about 24th October, 2019 in Port Harcourt,
Rivers State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to
defraud, did attempt to obtain money by false pretence from Mr. Anselm
Agommuoh, by falsely pretending that his name has been shortlisted for
investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and that you work
closely with and an ally of the Acting Executive Chairman of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, and as such, you have the capacity to remove his
name from the list, which pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed
an offence contrary to Section 8(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related
Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
But the defendant pleaded not
guilty to the charges preferred against him.
It was on this ground that
prosecution counsel, Samuel Chime prayed the court to fix a date for trial and
remand the defendant in Nigerian Correctional Service custody.
However, counsel to the
defendant, Thaddaeus Dzege informed the court of an application for the bail of
his client; which was not opposed by the prosecution counsel.
In his ruling, Justice Abubakar
granted the defendant bail in the sum of N1,000.000.00k and one surety in like
sum.
He ordered that the surety must
be a grade level 15 officer and above.
He also ordered that the
defendant be remanded in a Nigerian Correctional Service custody pending the
fulfilment of his bail conditions while the case was adjourned to January 13,
2020 for commencement of trial.
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