An operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has told an Ikeja Special Offences Court, presided over by Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, as to how a fraud suspect, Ladeji Kelvin Babatunde, went about impersonating the anti-graft agency.
The EFCC operative, Bot Dachung Toma, who was testifying before the judge, submitted that Babatunde allegedly obtained a sum to the tune of N2.6m under false pretence from suspects.
The witness further revealed that the defendant impersonated EFCC officials, obtained money from victims and that he would help them from being arrested with bail being secured.
Being led in evidence by a lawyer to the Commission, Mr Nnemeka Omenwa, the EFCC operative told the judge that the defendant, who was an operative informant, obtained monies from his victims and promised that he would help them in their case.
Toma said, “The defendant impersonated the EFCC and collected money from the people and promised that he would prevent them from being prosecuted.
“We are able to trace some money into his account. The defendant used the money he collected from the victims to build a house in Ogun State. The house had been marked for investigation.”
During cross-examination, the witness confirmed that the petition against the defendant was written to his office as an intelligence report, even as he added that the defendant paraded himself as an operative.
Toma further told Justice Taiwo that sometime in March 2021, the anti-graft agency went for a search in Ogun State, and there it was discovered that the defendant had collected N800,000.00 from one Jacob that he would help him in his case.
“The boy was in our custody when he provided information that the defendant collected the money from his parents,” the witness added.
Recall that the Commission had alleged that the fraud suspect collected monies by false pretence.
Babatunde was particularly alleged to have on February 15, 2021, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N300,000.00 from Noah Alias Flow through Shapax International, an internet fraudster under the false pretence that he would protect him from arrest by the operatives of the EFCC.
The anti-graft agency also made an allegation that Babatunde obtained N1.5m from one Chijioke Mmadubue and his internet fraud syndicate based at Chevron axis, Lekki, under the pretence that he will protect them from arrest by the EFCC.
The Commission insisted that the offence is contrary to Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act No 14 of 2006.
Justice Taiwo fixed August 11, 2022, for trial to continue.
Comments