The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ifeanyi Chukwu

  • Ex-bank manager faces N411m fraud charge

    A Lagos Federal High Court yesterday ordered that a former manager with Ecobank Nigeria Plc, Ifeanyi Chukwu, be remanded in prison following his arraignment for allegedly defrauding customers of N411million.

    Azike, who was handed over to the police by the bank’s investigative unit, was yesterday arraigned before Justice Ayotunde Faji by the Special Fraud Unit (SFU).

    He is facing a three-count charge of obtaining money under false pretence, false representation and fraud.

    In a charge marked FHC/L/56c/2019, the police alleged that between 2016 and 2017, Azike fraudulently obtained N150 million from a customer under false pretence of buying him Federal Government Treasury Bill.

    Azike was also alleged to have forged the customer’s signature, picture and letter of instruction, which he used in opening a parallel account as Ikenna Okafor Kelvin, with number: 5333063028.

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    He was alleged to have, without the bank’s consent, fraudulently converted the N411 million to his use.

    The defendant pleaded not guilty.

    Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Daniel Apochi urged the court to remand him in prison following his plea.

    Justice Faji ordered that the defendant be remanded till March 8, when his bail application will be heard.

     

  • Alleged N411m Fraud: Court remands bank manager in prison

    A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has ordered the remand of a former manager of Ecobank, Ifeanyi Chukwu for allegedly defrauding the bank’s customers of N411million.

    Azike, who was handed over to the police by the investigative unit of the bank was arraigned before Justice Ayotunde Faji on Thursday, by the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

    He is facing a three-count charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretence, false representation and fraud.

    In a charge marked, FHC/L/56c/2019, the police alleged that between 2016 and 2017, Azike fraudulently obtained N150 million from a customer of Ecobank Nigeria under false pretence of buying him Federal Government Treasury Bill in his bank.

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    Azike was also alleged to have forged the bank customer’s signature, picture and letter of Instruction which he used in opening another parallel account as Ikenna Okafor Kelvin with account number: 5333063028.

    He was also alleged to have, without the consent of the bank, fraudulently converted the sum of N411 million belonging to the bank to his personal use.

    The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    Following his plea, police prosecutor, ASP Daniel Apochi urged the court to remand him in prison pending trial.

    Justice Faji granted his request and ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison till of March 8, 2019 when his bail application would be heard.

  • My captors were angry I had only N20,000 in my account – Hirse

    My captors were angry I had only N20,000 in my account – Hirse

    Mr Bagudu Hirse, former Minister of State (Foreign Affairs), who was kidnapped in Kaduna, on Nov. 20, 2016, has said that his captors were angry when they confirmed that he had only N20,000 in his account.

    Hirse, who relayed his experience with the captors in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Wednesday in Jos, said that the captors confirmed the balance in his account when they checked his phone.

    “They went through my bank details and expressed deep disappointment that a former minister and Ambassador had such a little sum in his account.

    “That was when they started harassing my wife because they had earlier asked for a ransom of N50 million.

    “In fact, when they confirmed the figure, they started doubting if I was the Bagudu Hirse, a former Nigeria envoy to Namibia,” he said.

    Hirse said that the kidnappers kept ordering his wife to bring the money that her husband was hiding.

    “My wife told them the truth about our financial status, but they were not convinced,” he said.

    The former minister, however, confirmed that the captors were “paid something in dollars”, before he was eventually released.

    He said that the captors told him that they were graduates who were forced into kidnapping to survive because they were “jobless and frustrated”.

    “One said that he graduated from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, six years ago, and had remained without a job, while another said he studied Chemical Engineering and had been jobless for five years,” he said.

    Hirse, who said he was “treated very well” by the kidnappers, said that he maintained a cordial relationship with them throughout the period of the captivity.

    He advised government to create more jobs, and stressed the need to concentrate on building the private sector.

    “If the private sector is supported to be viable, there will be jobs and most of these idle youths will be absorbed,” he said.

    NAN reports that eight suspects have been arrested in connection with Hirse’s ordeal.

    Mr Don Awunah, police spokesperson, who announced the arrest, said that the gang was apprehended based on intelligence reports and surveillance which led to the arrest of one Dominic Nwakpa, the gang leader, on Jan. 1.

    Among those arrested and paraded by the police was a dismissed police officer, Clinton Abere.

    Others included Ifeanyi Chukwu, Balat Paul (driver), Ibrahim Samuel, Jatau Peter and Afini Paul, younger sister to the driver of the gang and owner of the house where kidnapped victims were kept.

    The police quoted the suspects as admitting that they collected ransom before releasing Hirse.

  • Former minister’s abduction: Ex- policeman, siblings, others arrested

    Operatives of the Inspector General of Police (IGP)’s Intelligence Response Team have arrested a policeman, two siblings and four others over their alleged involvement in the kidnap of a former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bagudu Hirse.

    The suspects arrested are – the gang leader; Dominic Nwakpa, Ifeanyi Chukwu, the driver of the gang; Balat Paul,  Ibrahim Samuel, a dismissed policeman, Jatau Peter, Afini Paul and Clinton Abere.

    Items recovered from the suspects  are two English made Pump Action Guns, 131 rounds of AK 47 ammunition, police camouflage uniform and two military fez caps, two operational vehicles, one handset phone used for negotiation and collection of ransom, a red face mask, anti -car tracking device and one black criminal charm jacket.

    Amb. Hirse, who later regained freedom, was abducted in Kaduna on November 20, 2016 at the residence of Mamman Daura, where he went to condole with the family over the death of the former Sultan of Sokoto, Ibrahim Dasuki.

    Briefing journalists in Abuja on Monday, the Force Spokesman, Don Awunah, said the IGP’s Intelligence Response Team, (IRT) and other Special Tactical Squads in a coordinated operation based on intelligence gathered cracked the kidnap gang and arrested all its members.