EFCC Arraigns Lady Over $6,900 Ukraine Admission Scam

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned one Charity Komuo and her company, Charity Luba Consultancy, before the Delta State High Court in Asaba for breaching the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act.
Her arrest followed a petition from one Anthony Afisi that Komuo defrauded his family of 6,900 United States dollars under the pretence she would help one Ufuoma Afisi secure admission into a University in Ukraine, a promise that she failed to keep. Several other persons were also allegedly defrauded by Charity and her company in the same way.
Ms. Komuo was charged with eight counts of obtaining money by false pretences contrary to section 1 (3) and 8 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offence Act.
The presiding judge, Mr. C O Ogisi, ordered the accused to be remanded in prison custody.  Hearing of the bail application will be heard on July 26, 2012.

EFCC confirms Italian suspect hangs self

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has confirmed the death of 52 years old Italian, Mr. Mauro Zanin, a suspected fraudster two days before he was scheduled to appear in court.

EFCC, in a release made available to Vanguard, said Zanin was found motionless in the bathroom of the Commission’s detention facility in Abuja at about 4.50 am on June 19, 2012.

“He had apparently committed suicide using his bedsheet. All effort by the duty officers and a team of EFCC medical personnel led by Dr. Gideon Osi of the Commission’s Medical Unit to revive him with cardiopulmonary resuscitation proved futile. He was subsequently certified dead at about 5.45 am.

“Though all clues point to suicide, the incident has been reported to the Nigeria Police Station, Maitama for investigation”, the statement said.


Mr. Mauro Zanin
The deceased, according to the commission was arrested by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service following a complaint by one Ahamefula Chibuzor Ewuzie that he fraudulently obtained the sum of $111,000 from Gladwaters Nigeria Limited, and transferred to the EFCC on 30th May, 2012 for further investigation.

“The Commission had filed a five count charge against the deceased in court and got a Wednesday, June 20, 2012 as hearing date. He was served the court papers to prepare his defence yesterday, June 18.

“His arrest was officially communicated to the Italian Embassy on 31st May, 2012. The same day, the suspect was granted provisional bail, but he could not get a surety to take him on bail.

“While in detention, Mr. Zanin was visited on May 30, 2012, by Mr. Nicola Bazzani, First Secretary and Deputy Head of Mission at the Italian Embassy; and everyday by his lawyer, Mr.Ugochukwu Onyejiuto.

“ It is important to say that I took this matter pro bono, with the hope that he will pay my fees when he is free. I was spending my money feeding him… to my amazement; he refused to let his family know what was going on. He has a 30 year-old son who is a lawyer in Italy but he was always telling them all was well”, Onyejiuto said.

Zanin took his own life a day to his scheduled arraignment. He was supposed to be arraigned before the Federal High Court (5) in Abuja on Wednesday, June 20, 2012.

Dr. Mma Wokocha, the complainant expressed shock at the news of the death of the suspect, wondering how she would recover the huge sum of money obtained from her by the deceased.

However, she absolved the Commission of any blame in the death of the suspect. “Nobody should blame the EFCC. The Commission has done what it has to do, you cannot blame the EFCC…there was total human care for this guy,” she said

EFCC arraigns Nollywood producer for N8.8m fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday, arraigned a Nollywood movie producer, Ifeanyi Onyeabor, for allegedly defrauding a Lagos-based company of N8.8 million.

Onyeabor, 41, pleaded not guilty to the seven-count charge of stealing and fraudulent conversion filed against him before Justice Habeeb Abiru of the Ikeja High Court, Lagos.

EFCC prosecutor, Cosmas Ogwu, at the sitting called his first witness, Johnson Oshodi, an EFCC Investigative Officer.

Oshodi testified that he was mandated to investigate the matter following a petition sent to the commission by Steve-James Investment Ltd.

"According to the petition, Onyeabor collected a total sum of N8.8 million from Steve-James Nigeria Ltd. in December, 2008. The money was for the purpose of producing two movies titled ‘Young Amazon’ and `Tribes’," he said.

"The money was collected in instalments from the complainant." 

The witness said that Onyeabor, who is the Managing Director of Igo Motion Pictures International, collected the money for movies he failed to produce.

He was invited to the EFCC Office in Ikoyi to defend himself against the allegations but could not explain what he did with the money he collected from the complainant, Oshodi testified.

"The accused only showed us photographs of some people on horses, which he claimed was a scene from the movie," the EFCC witness said.

After the witness' testimony, Justice Abiru adjourned the case to June 4 for continuation.