The police in Lagos have arrested four members of a syndicate for presenting a forged fund transfer document that purportedly originated from Dangote Cement Plc to the First City Monument Bank Plc, on Tinubu Street, Lagos Island.
The document bears the Zenith Bank Plc account details of Willycil Ventures Limited allegedly run by one of the suspects, 54-year-old Wilfred Iloduba. The document requested First City Monument Bank Plc to transfer N16m to Iloduba’s account.
Names of other suspects are: Onyenka Gabriel, Emmanuel Madubuike, Nonso Achuonu and one Chizoba Okafor (aka Messa) who is still at large.
The fraud was foiled after FCMB contacted Dangote’s account manager, Mr.Owolabi Gabriel, to verify the transaction, which he confirmed to be a scam.
The incident was reported at the Ikoyi Police Station, leading to the arrest of the suspects.
Iloduba told the police that it was Madubuike who requested his Zenith Bank account to facilitate a business transaction. It was, however, learnt that Madubuike gave the account number to Achuonu who also sent it to Messa, the mastermind of the fraud.
Achuonu said, “It was Messa who asked me to assist him with a Zenith Bank account to do a business transaction. He also has an account with another bank which he uses to defraud innocent people. He is the brains behind the forgery. He now lives with his wife and children in Asaba, Delta State.”
The suspects were subsequently arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court on three counts of forgery by a police prosecutor, Inspector Philip Osijale.
The charges read in part, “That you, Wilfred Iloduba, Onyenka Gabriel, Emmanuel Madubuike, Nonso Achuonu and others now at large between June 1 and August 10, 2015 in the Lagos Magisterial District did conspire to commit felony to wit; forgery and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.
“That you and others at large on the same date time and place in the aforementioned magisterial district did forge funds transfer instructions valued at N16m, bearing Willycil Ventures Limited with Zenith Bank account number: 1010028261 to FCMB purported to have originated from Dangote Cement Plc and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 363 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.”
The accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and were admitted to bail in the sum of N1m with two sureties each in like sum by the presiding magistrate, Mr. Ona Owumi.
Owumi adjourned the case till November 30, 2015.
The document bears the Zenith Bank Plc account details of Willycil Ventures Limited allegedly run by one of the suspects, 54-year-old Wilfred Iloduba. The document requested First City Monument Bank Plc to transfer N16m to Iloduba’s account.
Names of other suspects are: Onyenka Gabriel, Emmanuel Madubuike, Nonso Achuonu and one Chizoba Okafor (aka Messa) who is still at large.
The fraud was foiled after FCMB contacted Dangote’s account manager, Mr.Owolabi Gabriel, to verify the transaction, which he confirmed to be a scam.
The incident was reported at the Ikoyi Police Station, leading to the arrest of the suspects.
Iloduba told the police that it was Madubuike who requested his Zenith Bank account to facilitate a business transaction. It was, however, learnt that Madubuike gave the account number to Achuonu who also sent it to Messa, the mastermind of the fraud.
Achuonu said, “It was Messa who asked me to assist him with a Zenith Bank account to do a business transaction. He also has an account with another bank which he uses to defraud innocent people. He is the brains behind the forgery. He now lives with his wife and children in Asaba, Delta State.”
The suspects were subsequently arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court on three counts of forgery by a police prosecutor, Inspector Philip Osijale.
The charges read in part, “That you, Wilfred Iloduba, Onyenka Gabriel, Emmanuel Madubuike, Nonso Achuonu and others now at large between June 1 and August 10, 2015 in the Lagos Magisterial District did conspire to commit felony to wit; forgery and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.
“That you and others at large on the same date time and place in the aforementioned magisterial district did forge funds transfer instructions valued at N16m, bearing Willycil Ventures Limited with Zenith Bank account number: 1010028261 to FCMB purported to have originated from Dangote Cement Plc and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 363 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.”
The accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and were admitted to bail in the sum of N1m with two sureties each in like sum by the presiding magistrate, Mr. Ona Owumi.
Owumi adjourned the case till November 30, 2015.
No comments:
Post a Comment