Court jails man for impersonating EFCC staff to extort N1.1m

The Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned one Nweke Izuchukwu Jude before Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court sitting in Independence Layout, Enugu State for allegedly impersonating officers of the EFCC.

Jude was arraigned on two-count charges bordering on impersonation and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N1, 100, 000. 00 (One Million, One Hundred Thousand Naira).

One of the Counts reads: “That you, Nweke Izuchukwu Jude, sometime in April 2024, at Enugu, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N1, 100, 000. 00 from one Justin Chidozie Chukwukere when you fraudulently presented yourself as an officer of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, a pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”

The defendant pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him. In view of his plea, EFCC Counsel, Ajobiewe Rotimi Enitan, prayed the court for a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded at Enugu State Correctional facility.

However, the defence counsel E. S. Umeojiakor informed the court about a pending bail application before it and prayed that his client be admitted to bail on liberal terms.

Enitan opposed the application.

After listening to both sides, the court granted the defendant bail on the following conditions: bail in the sum of N2 million with two sureties in like sum. The sureties must be resident within jurisdiction of the court. One of the sureties must have a landed property within the jurisdiction and they must be verified by the court Registrar.

The matter was adjourned to October 9, 2024 for trial while the defendant was remanded at Enugu State Correctional facility pending the perfection of the bail conditions.