EFCC Drags Couple, Another Man to Court over Land and Identity Scams

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned three persons in Enugu State for various offences involving fraud, forgery, and impersonation.

The EFCC is the anti-graft agency of Nigeria that investigates and prosecutes financial crimes.

The first case involved a couple, Simon Udeani and his wife, Dorcas, who were accused of duping an unsuspecting victim of N2,750,000 in a land deal.

The couple allegedly sold a piece of land that did not belong to them to the victim and issued a fake receipt and deed of assignment.

The EFCC charged the couple with three counts of obtaining money by false pretence, conspiracy, and forgery before Justice M.G. Umar of the Federal High Court in Enugu.

The couple pleaded not guilty to the charges and applied for bail through their lawyer, E.C. Nwauba.

Justice Umar granted them bail in the sum of N5 million each with one surety each in like sum. The sureties must be civil servants not below Grade Level 12 and must have landed properties within the jurisdiction of the court.

The judge also ordered the couple to deposit their passports with the court registrar and adjourned the case till February 6, 2024 for trial.

The second case involved one Johnson Aniekwe, who was arraigned before Justice Cyprian Ajah of the Enugu State High Court for impersonating a staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and defrauding a businessman of N9,170,000.

Aniekwe allegedly presented himself as an NNPC staff and offered to sell some litres of diesel to the businessman at a discounted price. He collected the money from the businessman and issued a fake NNPC receipt but failed to deliver the product.

The EFCC charged Aniekwe with three counts of obtaining money by false pretence, forgery, and impersonation. Aniekwe pleaded not guilty to the charges and applied for bail through his lawyer, A.G. Anyigo.

Justice Ajah granted him bail in the sum of N10 million with two sureties in like sum. The sureties must be residents of Enugu State and must have landed properties worth N10 million each within the state.

The judge also ordered Aniekwe to deposit his passport with the court registrar and adjourned the case till March 7, 2024 for trial.

The EFCC has vowed to continue its fight against corruption and urged the public to report any suspicious activities to the agency.

The EFCC also warned the public to be wary of fraudsters who use fake identities and documents to deceive unsuspecting victims.

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