The Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Monday filed a criminal charge against
three men before an Ikeja High Court for allegedly stealing over N74 million
asset belong to two dead men, Shande Ako Dzungwe and Alhaji Isa Koto.
The three
men Mohammed Rabiu Lawan, (alias Shande Dzungwe Ako), Raphael Olorunfemi
Okomoda, Adegbesan Theophilus and others still at large were alleged to have
fraudulently posed as the late Shande Ako Dzungwe and Alhaji Isa Koto and obtained
over N74 million from their separate share investments with various companies.
The EFCC
alleged that the late Shande Ako Dzungwe died in 1992 while Isa Koto died in
1970 but that the defendants presented themselves as the late men and
gave instruction to various companies to release the monetary value of their
shares to them.
The EFCC
specifically alleged that on 16 May, 2013, the three men fraudulently obtained
about N22 million from the shares investment of the late Shande Dzungwe with
Royal Crest Ltd through Fidelity Bank Plc.
The
commission alleged that the defendants opened an account with the name of the
deceased in Fidelity Bank Plc and instructed the investment companies to pay
the monetary value of the share intto the account.
The
defendants were also alleged to have fraudulently instructed the Nigerian
Stock Exchange Brokers Ltd to sell 8,332 units of Mobil Oil Plc shares at
N981,921 belonging to the deceased and to transfer the proceed into the
fictitious account.
They were
also alleged to have converted the dividend warranty of the deceased with Union
Bank Plc, Nestle Food Plc, Mobil Plc, NCR Plc and Unilever Plc and used the
proceed to buy the 5,000 units of Nigerian Breweries shares, 46,000 units of
First Bank Plc shares and 50,000 units of GTB shares.
The
proceeds of the shares according to the EFCC was later deposited in the
fictitious bank account opened on behalf of the deceased by the defendants.
The EFCC also
alleged that the defendants later instructed Fidelity Bank Plc to transfer the
fund into another fictitious account in the bank through which they eventually
withdrew the money.
The EFCC
further alleged that the defendants between 13 March and 16 May, 2013, with the
intention to defraud, posed as Alhaji Isa Koto and fraudulently instructed
Fidelity Securities Ltd to sell 116,625 units of Guinness Plc shares valued at
N44 million and transfer the proceeds into the Fidelity Bank Account.
The
offences allegedly committed by the defendants are contrary to
sections 8(a) and 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related
Offences Act, No. 14 of 2006 and sections 285, 378 of the Criminal Laws No.11
Vol. 44 of Lagos State, 2011.
The charge
was not fully read to the defendants as the EFCC counsel in court detected some
errors in the charge and asked for an adjournment to correct the errors.
The matter
has been adjourned till 7 July for arraignment.
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