Press Release
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday,
February 3, 2015, arraigned the trio of Solomon Uchendu, Ndubisi Agu and Uchendo
Chikwadu before Justice D. V.Agishir of the Federal High Court sitting in
Enugu, Enugu State for offences bordering on obtaining by false pretence and
Advanced Fee Fraud.
The suspects, who were living at 4, Coal City University Close,
Independence Layout, Enugu, were arrested by operatives of the EFCC following
intelligence report over their alleged involvement in Internet crime.
One of the suspects, Solomon, who is currently undergoing the
mandatory National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, in Akoko, Ondo State, confessed
that he had about seven different email accounts registered with different
names.
Solomon, who is facing a seven-count charge, further disclosed that most
of his victims were from the U.S., Canada and Germany.
According to him, “One Patricia from Canada gave me $1200USD; Larisa
from Germany gave him $300USD; Ethel from the U.S. also gave me $300USD. All of
them know me as Lincoln, but they don’t know that I live in Nigeria.”
One of the charges read: “That you Solomon Uchendu on or about 3rd
day of May 2014 in Enugu, Enugu State within the jurisdiction of the Federal
High Court of Nigeria was found in possession of a document containing a false
pretence titled “Hello. I am Mark; sorry for stumbling into your profile” and
thereby committed an offence, contrary to section 6 and section 8 sub-section(
b ) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offence Act 2006 and punishable
under section 1 (3) of the same Act.”
The second suspect, Agu, who hails from Umuelem in Ihitte Uboma LGA of
Imo State, also told the court that he had numerous email accounts.
Agu, a final year student of the Enugu State University of Science and
Technology, Enugu further told the court that he realized $13000USD between
2013 and February, 2014 from some of his victims across the world.
The third suspect, 22-year-old Chikwadu, a native of Imezi LGA Enugu
State, confessed that he had three fake drivers’ licences, which were procured
in the names of John Omoaroijake, Gary Harry and Chikwadu Uchendu at a cyber
cafe on Airport Road and at the licensing office at Jakpa Road in Warri, Delta
State.
Chikwadu, who is currently seeking admission into the Delta State
University, said he met one 32 year-old nurse, Grace Talves of Blackpool, United
Kingdom on a dating site named “Tagged”.
The suspect, who claimed to be Harry Phillp, 42, thereafter, began to
send love scam mails and pictures to Talves, a British divorcee and mother of
one, who is currently in Nigeria for an engineering job.
He stated that he duped her £500, an Ipad and a Mac Air laptop.
One of the charges read: “That you Uchendu Chinonso on or about 3rd
day of May 2014 in Enugu, Enugu State within the jurisdiction of the Federal
High Court of Nigeria was found in possession of a document containing a
picture in which you presented yourself as a white man by name Gary Harry
Philip a pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence
contrary to section 6 and section 8 (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other
Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under section 1 (3) of the same Act.”
The prosecuting counsel, Barrister Innocent, applied orally for a trial
date and pleaded that the suspects be remanded in prison custody.
But the defence counsel, Barrister Aneke, prayed the court to grant the
suspects bail, which the prosecuting counsel kicked against.
Justice Agishir adjourned the case to February 10, 2015, while ordering
that the suspects be remanded in prison custody.
Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
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