Court remands man for allegedly swindling COVID-19 loan applicants

A Makurdi Chief Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday remanded a 35-year-old man, Eugene Izuchukwu, for allegedly swindling COVID-19 loan applicants of N28.8million in Benue.

The police charrged Izuchukwu with advance fee fraud and criminal intimation.

The Magistrate, Mrs Erdoo Ter, however, did not take the plea of Izuchukwu for want in jurisdiction.

Ter ordered that he shoude be remanded in Federal Maximum Correctional Centre Makurdi and adjourned the case until Jan. 30 for further mention

Earlier, yje Prosecution Counsel, Insp Regina Ishaya told the court that the case was received at the office of the AIG Zone 4 Headquarters, Makurdi on Nov. 10 from Mrs Celine Agu, Pastor Philip Okoliko and 16 others, all of various addresses within Makurdi town.

She said Izuchukwu between January and March 2020 persuaded and induced the complainants to register for COVID-19 loans with him and they all did.

Upon reliance on his presentation, she said, the complainants paid various amounts of monies by cash and bank transactions at Access Bank No. 0783785237, UBA No. 2192033439, Zenith Bank No. 2213586359 and Union Bank No. 0151338334 amounting to N28,857,000.

She said during Police invesugation, the suspect was arrested and he confessed to committing the offence.

The  offence, she said, contravened the provisions Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee  Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and Section 398 of the Penal Code Laws of Benue 2004.

She said investigation into the matter was still ongoing.