The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says its operatives have arrested a suspected serial fraudster, Callistus Okeke, for allegedly defrauding two Nigerians of N369.3 million.
The spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, disclosed this in a statement forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday.
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Mr Oyewale said operatives of the Enugu Zonal Directorate arrested the suspect in response to petitions from the two victims.
The EFCC spokesperson said the petitioners – Chinedu Ezeugwu and Ernest Agu – alleged that the suspect defrauded them separately after presenting himself as a Bureau De Change (BDC) operator.
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Chinedu Ezeugwu’s petition
Mr Ezeugwu, according to the statement, claimed that he paid N157.3 million to the suspect for onward transmission to his business partner in China.
Mr Oyewale said Mr Ezeugwu reported that while the suspect remitted only N24 million to his partner in China, he (the petitioner) gave him telex copies of ABA Bank of Cambodia for the outstanding amount.
The EFCC spokesperson said the petitioner upon presentation to his partner in China, the copies of the bank documents were found to be fake.
He said the suspect, in the course of the EFCC investigation, admitted that the N157.3 million he received was diverted for his personal use and that the telex copies of ABA Bank of Cambodia were forged.
“I became short of finance for business and used Mr Ezeugwu’s money (the petitioner) to start settling other people’s money that was hanging.
“I used it to settle other customers that I was owing because my business was experiencing a financial setback.
“I also sent some telex copies to Mr Ezeugwu through WhatsApp, and the telex copies I forwarded to him were not the real ones,” EFCC quoted the suspect as saying.
Mr Oyewale stressed that further investigation showed that, contrary to his initial claim, the suspect is not a BDC operator.
“After admitting to the crime, the suspect successfully sent back the sum of N50 million to Chinedu, leaving the balance of N83, 295, 000 unpaid,” he said.
Ernest Agu’s petition
Mr Oyewale said Mr Agu, in his petition, alleged that the suspect, in 2024, requested a loan to execute a transaction, as his funds were in dollars and domiciled outside Nigeria.
According to the statement, the petitioner said the suspect had promised to repay the loan.
“A total of N212 million was transferred to Callistus’ account, and every attempt made for him to return the same as agreed has become futile as all the invoices and telex copies he raised were fake,” the EFCC quoted the petitioner as saying.
The spokesperson said that during the EFCC investigation, the suspect remitted N167.6 million to Mr Agu, leaving an unpaid balance of N44.3 million.
“The suspect will be charged in court as soon as investigations are concluded,” he stated.
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Prohibited in Nigeria
Fraud, including forgery and obtaining by false pretence, is a criminal offence under Nigerian laws.
The Criminal Code Act, applicable in Southern Nigeria, is the main legislation which criminalises fraud in the country.
Obtaining by false pretence is outlawed in Section 419 of the Act. Offenders face up to three years imprisonment upon conviction, the section said.
The Act also makes forgery illegal, prescribing various jail terms for offenders upon conviction, depending on the nature of forgery.
Section 467 of the Act states that forgery is a felony that attracts a three-year jail term upon conviction.
Like in the Criminal Code Act, forgery is also outlawed in the Penal Code, which covers the northern part of the country.
Section 364 of the Penal Code prescribes imprisonment for a term which may extend to 14 years for offenders upon conviction.
Several Nigerians have been convicted for various fraud-related offences.
