The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos will on November 12, 2024, resume the trial of five defendants for alleged conspiracy to defraud, and obtaining of $950,000 from a businessman, Chief Nnamdi Vincent Ezenwa, under false pretence.
The businessman is the prosecution’s star witness in the trial, while the 1st to 5th defendants are Chibueze Ojeh, Obinna Nwosu, Emeka Njoku, Castle Equipment & Logistic Ltd and United Bank For Africa (UBA).
The defendants are being prosecuted by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) before Justice Deinde Isaac Dipeolu on a five-count amended charge marked FHC/AWK/C/25/2020.
Ezenwa, the MD/CEO of Vinna Investment Limited, alleged that he was duped of the $950,000 in a fraudulent forex deal, a charge the defendants – three persons, a firm and the bank – denied during their arraignment earlier in the year.
At the resumed trial on July 23, prosecution counsel Abdulmoruf Animashaun, who held the brief of Mr. Simon Lough SAN informed the court that the defendants were being prosecuted on a third amended charge, adding that the case ought to be expeditiously heard.
First prosecution witness Ezenwa stated that he was called sometime in 2014 by his account officer in the bank that a customer had $1.9 million to sell.
Led in evidence by the prosecutor, the witness said the account officer was aware Ezenwa needed dollars to send to Italy for the importation of toothpaste.
He testified that he quickly called his company accountant to go to the bank’s Aba branch to confirm the situation. The latter did.
“I then went to meet the bank’s Branch manager, account officer and the customer that wanted to sell the dollars, together with my company accountant.
“I bought the total sum of $1.9m as recommended by UBA but the total sum of $950,000 of it was fake.
“I demanded that my money be returned to me, but every effort proved abortive,” Ezenwa added.
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When Dr. D.A. Awosika (SAN), counsel to the first defendant, objected to the tendering of some documents, the prosecution counsel urged the court to adjourn the case to a further date to enable him to regularise the position.
Consequently, Justice Dipeolu adjourned till the 12th and 14th of November 2024 for further trial.
Count two of the charge against the defendants read:
“That you Chibueze Ojeh ‘M’ 40years MD/CEO of Castle Equipment & Logistics Limited of Lekki County Homes, Westend Estate Road 4, House 4 Lekki Lagos state, Obinna Nwosu ‘M’ 45years of No. 1 Shofidiya Close, Adegoke Estate, Masha Roundabout Surulere Lagos, Emeka Njoku “M 41years former Staff and marketer with United Bank for Africa Plc, of No. 3 Azikiwe Road Port Harcourt, Castle Equipment & Logistics Ltd and United Bank for Africa Pic: Onyinyechi Oraegbunem ‘F’ former branch manager of UBA Aba branch and Pamela Onaga former staff of UBA Pic Aba branch/account officer to Nnamdi Vincent Ezenwa, now at large, between 3 April, 2013 and 31 June 2013 in Lagos and Aba, while acting in concert and with intent to defraud Chief Nnamdi Vincent Ezenwa, MD/CEO of Vinna Investment Limited deceitfully induced Chief Nnamdi Vincent Ezenwa that you have dollars to sell to him at a lower rate of N159.00 per dollar and deceitfully collected a total sum of N294,150,000,00 equivalent to $1,850,000 from him on the pretence that you will transfer the dollars equivalent to his customers in Italy. But having collected the total sum of N294,150,000,00, you transferred only $900,000 equivalent to N143.100,000.00 and converted $950,000, equivalent to N151,000,000.00 to your use. You thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(1) and punishable under section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006.
