Anti-graft War: Court Convicts Opara, EFCC Arraigns Fake NNPC Staff

 

Court Convicts Opara for N3.8m Job Scam

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has today secured the conviction of one Dr. Faith Chika Opara for obtaining the sum of N3.8m by false pretense.
Opara pleaded guilty on arraignment and was immediately convicted by Justice M.L Abubakar of the Federal High Court,  Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, but  reserved sentencing to Thursday March 17, 2016.
The convict had approached the complainant with the idea that there was an ongoing Federal Government Empowerment Programme from the office of the former first lady Dame Patience Jonathan, under the umbrella of Centre for Global Peace Integrity and Development, a Non-Governmental Organization, belonging to the accused. The unsuspecting applicants then paid as much as N100, 000 each, totaling N3.8m with the false hope of taking all participants to South Africa.
Before the conviction, the prosecuting counsel H. O. Anaso tendered various exhibits before the court which were all admitted and marked as such. But the defence counsel, J.C Odo (Mrs.), on the other hand prayed the court to temper justice with mercy, since her client has shown enough remorse to the State and Commission.

 

The Economic and financial Crimes Commission EFCC, on Monday March 14, 2016, arraigned Raymond Odika on a six count charge, bordering on criminal conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence, before Justice Dugbo-Oghoghorie of the Federal High Court , Enugu.

Odika connived with one Solomon Chidi Onyia(still at large) to defraud Malachy Olife and Peter Sunday to the tune of N624,000.00 under the pretext that they were staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC.

One of the counts reads, "that you Raymond Odika and Mr. Solomon Chidi Onyia(now at large) on or about the 4th Day of December 2015, in Enugu, Enugu state, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, with intent to defraud, conspired between yourselves to commit a felony to wit; obtaining money by false pretence and thereby committed an offence contrary 8(a) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act".

Odika pleaded not guilty on all counts of the charge preferred against him.

In view of his plea, the EFCC counsel , I. I. Mbachie urged the court to remand the accused person in prison and fix a date for the bail hearing and continuation of trial.

But before adjourning to March 23, 2016, Justice Dugbo-Oghoghorie admitted the accused person to bail on the grounds that he had been on administrative bail granted him by the EFCC.