Fraudsters: EFCC Nabs Alhaji Ugly Rex, Bishop Giniko, Others

Fraudsters: EFCC Nabs Alhaji Ugly Rex, Bishop Giniko, Others

Internet Fraudster: EFCC Nabs Alhaji Ugly Rex and Two Others
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Port Harcourt Zonal Office, have arrested three suspected internet fraudsters in a sting operation.

The suspects: Adugwe Rex Odinaka(aka Alhaji Ugly Rex), Igwe Prince Chukwuebuka (aka Trad Marley) and Ifeanyi Nicholas Chukwulenwa, were arrested in Omoku, Rivers State.

Preliminary investigations showed that Chukwuebuka and Chukwulenwa were into romance and dating scams and had successfully defrauded three Americans in the process.

Odinaka, on his part, engaged in “laundering of fraudulently obtained gift cards”, specifically iTunes and Amazon cards.

The suspects are operating in a syndicate. Other members of the syndicate are being tracked and funds fraudulently realized from the scam are also being tracked. The suspects would soon be charged to court.

Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity
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EFCC Arrests Bishop for Defrauding in God’s Name

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Benin Zonal Office has arrested a Bishop and suspected fraudster, Giniko Obi, for allegedly defrauding thousands of people of various sums of money running into millions of naira, in the guise of helping them “fight poverty”.

Obi, founder of Beloved Gideon Foundation, based in Agbor, Delta State, with outreaches in Bayelsa, Onitsha, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Benin City, however, denied any involvement in fraud claiming that he was only “doing the will of God by trying to help the people fight poverty”.

According to him, it was his desire and God’s will to see people prosper that led him into operating what appears to be a Ponzi Scheme. Obi who claim to be a consecrated Bishop, possessing a diploma in theology explains thus:

“We write books such as ‘24 Nuggets for Successful Living’, ‘36 Nuggets for Successful Living’, ‘48 Nuggets for Successful Living’. We organise seminars and conferences on how to be successful. We tell the people to subscribe to these publications. If you subscribe with N10, 800, we give you N15, 000. If you subscribe with N18, 000, we give you N23, 000. I had about 30,000 subscribers and I was paying them”.

According to him, when he left Agbor for Lagos, his desire was to expand his subscription base but his subscribers were impatient.

“If they allowed me to hold the conference in Lagos, I would have paid them,” he claimed.

However, some of his victims who have continued to throng the EFCC office, since his arrest, described his as a “fraud”. One of them, Janet Amaka Okafor, said the Bishop sold a dummy to them by claiming that he was from the famous Gideons International, based in the United States.

She said: “He organised seminars in Agbor market that he was from Gideons International and that their mission was to help eradicate poverty in Nigeria.

“He told us that unlike in the past when Gideons International distributed Bibles and Christian literatures, their mission now was to eradicate poverty”.

On how she became a victim of the scheme, Okafor, 35, who claims she has never participated in any ponzi scheme in the past said she fell for his tricks because the “Bishop” swore with the bible.

“The Bishop knelt down and swore with the Bible. He convinced us that he was from Texas, USA and we believed him. I subscribed with N10, 800 and he paid me N15, 000. It was after this that he engaged over 60 of us as canvassers. I brought many people including my relations and friends. All together, they invested over N5 million”.

Another victim, Bessie Nwadibire, 67, said the Bishop was very deceptive from the beginning.

“When he came to the market he gave out drinks and dashed some people money as much as N50, 000 as he said the poverty rate in Nigeria was too high,” Nwadibire said, praying and hoping that the Bishop will be made to refund her money.

Expressing gratitude that the EFCC has arrested the Bishop, she said, “Before he was arrested, we went into hiding, because all the people who invested their money into the business through me have threatened to kill me unless I refund their money. The money is over N8, 000, 000 (Eight Million Naira) only”.

The same tale of woes has become the lot of Wisdom Aderemor, a civil servant based in Agbor. Okpuzor who said she had to flee her home for fear of being attacked described the Bishop as “callous and evil”.

The suspect will soon be arraigned in court.

Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity
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N15m Fraud: Dangote Staff Bag Five Years Jail Term

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on January 14, 2019 secured the conviction and sentencing of one Adewale Dalmeida, an employee of Dangote Cement, Ibese, Ogun State, to five years imprisonment before Justice O. J. Bamgbose of the High Court of Ogun State, Abeokuta for an offence bordering on conspiracy and stealing to the tune of N15, 000, 000 (Fifteen Million Naira) only.

Dalmeida along with Ibrahim Lawal, Lukman Adam and Afeez Olaniba were arraigned on December 6, 2018 on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and stealing to the tune of N15 million.

The complainant, Dangote Cement, alleged that Dalmeida, a Fleet Analyst, Dangote Cement; Lawal, Chief Driver, Dangote Cement; Adam, a Ghanaian driver, Dangote Cement and Olaniba, who is an agent of a contractor to Dangote Cement, diverted nine trucks carrying 800 bags of cement each valued at over N15 million.

The defendants were said to have diverted the trucks carrying the bags of cement, which were meant for the company’s customers in Togo, using fake identification cards and number plates.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to them.

The Judge remanded the defendants in Ibara Prison custody, Abeokuta, Ogun State and adjourned till December 17, 2018 for hearing of their bail applications and commencement of trial.

At the next adjourned sitting on December 17, 2018, counsel to the first defendant, Adewumi Adisa, told the court that he had filed a bail application on behalf of his client, Dalmedia, and also expressed the intention of his client to change his earlier plea of not guilty to guilty.

Consequently, the court had ordered the charge to be read to the defendant, who pleaded guilty to the two-count charge.

Also, counsel to second defendant, Z. D. Garuba, told the court that he had not filed any application on behalf of his client, Lawal, because he wanted to enter a plea bargain.

Counsel to the third defendant, Abolanle Davies, and counsel to the fourth defendant, K. O. Moshud, had also told the court about bail applications on behalf of their clients.

In his response, the prosecution counsel, Idris Mohammed, had told the court that he was ready to proceed with the trial of the third and fourth defendants.

He had also prayed the court to take a very short date for a review of the facts and adoption of the plea bargain.

Consequently, Justice Bamgbose had adjourned the matter to Friday, December 21, 2018 for the review of the facts and adoption of plea bargain.

At the close of the review of the facts and adoption of plea bargain agreement, Justice Bamgbose had convicted the defendants on both counts on December 21, 2018 and adjourned to January 14, 2019 for sentencing of the convicts.

At today’s proceedings, Justice Bamgbose sentenced the first convict to two and a half years imprisonment on each count. The sentences are to run concurrently from the date of arrest and detention, being September 14, 2018.

The Judge also ordered that the money and property recovered from the convict should be forfeited to Dangote Cement.

The second, third and fourth defendants were each sentenced to eight months imprisonment on each count. The sentences are to run concurrently from September 12, 2018.

The Judge ordered that the N1.6 million recovered from second defendant should be forfeited to Dangote Cement.

Also, the total sum of N900, 000 recovered from the third defendant was ordered to be forfeited to Dangote Cement.

The money recovered from the fourth defendant was also ordered to be forfeited to Dangote Cement.

The convicts were all ordered to enter into a bond with the Commission to be of good of character and never to commit any crime again in or outside the country.

Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity