See How EFCC Arraigned Two People for N12million Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arraigned Mariam Eyitayo and Bethrand Johnson, on November 5, 2018, before Justice Peter Affen of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, sitting in Maitama, on an 11-count charge, bordering on forgery, conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence, to the tune of N12 million.

They were arraigned along with three companies: Hamchid Nigeria Limited, Royal Reality and Investment Limited, and Rapid Technoslim and Investment Limited.

Trouble started for the defendants when the EFCC received a petition, dated July 14, 2016, from Darison Samuel Jatau, alleging that he paid them N12 million for the sale of two million barrels of crude oil in Accra, Ghana and one hundred and twenty million barrels of Bonny Light Crude Oil, at Bonny terminal, Rivers State, only for him to find out he had been duped.

One of the counts reads: “That you Mariam Eyitayo, Bethrand Johnson, Samuel Melia (at large), Bature Musa (at large), Hamchid Nigeria Limited, Royal Reality and Investment Limited, and Rapid Technoslim and Investment Limited, sometimes between 4th May, 2015 at Abuja, in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, with intent to defraud, obtained the gross sum of N12,000,000 (Twelve million naira), from one Darison Samuel Jatau via Price Sale Oil and Gas Limited, with Corporate Account No. 3233003782 domiciled with Ecobank Plc under the false pretence that the sum represents payment for the sale of 2,000,000 barrels of crude oil in Accra-Ghana and 120,000,000 barrels of Bonny Light Crude Oil (BLCO) at Bonny terminal, Rivers State, which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act”. They pleaded “not guilty” to the charge preferred against them.

In view of their pleas, the prosecuting counsel, Benjamin Lawal Manji, prayed the court for a trial date and for the defendants to be remanded in prison custody.