The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned the duo of
Abiodun Akorede, aka Kwesi Mensah; and Sherif Ajaga , aka Rowland Komolafe, for
attempting to dupe a former Military Administrator and a former member of the
National Assembly, Senator Tunde Ogbeha.
The defendants were arraigned before Justice H.U. Baba of the Federal
Capital Territory High Court, Abuja.
The two men were said to have been arrested by operatives of the EFCC
following a petition by Ogbeha.
The senator had alleged that the men were attempting to swindle him in a
non-existent transaction.
The EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said, “The retired army general
received a telephone call on December 5, 2014, from one Morris Williams.
Williams had claimed to be an employee of the World Wide Organisation.
“Williams told the petitioner that WWO was ready to award him (the
complainant) the sum of £10m for his consignment that was mishandled by an
unnamed courier company.
“Williams also told the complainant that one Mr. Kwesi Mensah and a
certain Mr. Rowland Komolafe would meet him in Nigeria to deliver the money.
“There was however a caveat. He would pay the service fee of about
£11,000.”
Aware that he was not expecting any consignment, the petitioner was said
to have played along and told the accused persons that his driver would pick
them on arrival in Nigeria to his office in Abuja for further discussion.
It was during the meeting in his office that the accused persons were
handed over to the EFCC operatives.
The men were arraigned on two counts of criminal conspiracy and
attempting to obtain money under false pretences.
The charges read in part: “That you Abiodun Akorede, aka Kwesi Mensah,
Sherif Ajaga, aka Rowland Komolafe, and other still at large, on or about
December 5, 2014, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court,
with intent to defraud one General Tunde Ogbeha, did attempt to obtain the sum
of £11,000 under the pretext that the said sum was meant for clearing charges
for a non-existing transaction, which pretence you knew to be false and thereby
committed an offence contrary to Section 8(b) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and
Other Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same
Act.”
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Baba ordered that the suspects be remanded in the Kuje Prison and
adjourned the case to January 20, 2015
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