The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned Ndubisi Kenechukwu Ugonna before Justice E. Okpe of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Gudu, Abuja, on allegations of fraud involving $500,000.
Ugonna was docked on a one-count charge of advance fee fraud and obtaining money under false pretence. The anti-graft agency accused him of deceiving a victim with a bogus investment scheme.
The charge sheet reads: “That you Ndubisi Kenechukwu Ugonna sometime in 2020 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud did obtain the total sum of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars (500,000.00 USD) from one Kofoworola Olagunju under the false pretence that you had capacity to invest in global security on his behalf and that the investment business was genuine which pretence you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
When the charge was read, the defendant pleaded not guilty.
Prosecution counsel, Joshua Saidi, then urged the court to fix a date for trial and to order Ugonna’s remand in a correctional facility. In response, the defence lawyer informed the court of a pending bail application and requested that his client remain in EFCC custody pending determination.
After listening to both sides, Justice Okpe ruled that Ugonna be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre and adjourned the case until September 25, for hearing on the bail application.