by Chi Ibe

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has traced a bank fraud operation that took place in Abuja to a jail cell at the Kirikiri maximum prison, Lagos. Right from his prison cell in Lagos, Ikechukwu Ogbu, serving a 15-year jail term had reportedly swindled Abuja based bank manager, Pat Enechukwu, of N12.3m using a mobile phone.

On Tuesday at a Lagos High Court the EFCC told the court that they had recovered four mobile phones from the cell. During the trial, EFCC’s investigator, Daniel Danladi, told Justice Lateefat Okunnu that he visited the prison after the complainant reported the fraud.

“The prison officials conducted a search in the cell occupied by the first defendant (Ogbu) and two other inmates and four mobile phones were recovered.

“Analysis were conducted on the phones by the forensic unit of the EFCC.”

Ogbu, had earlier been convicted of fraud in 2008, now his has been charged to court again for a similar but totally different crime and  could get an increased sentencing if found guilty.

He is standing trial with John Chinonso and Chuks Ibebagwu, who are suspected accomplice as the stolen money was transferred into their accounts.

The Punch reports:

The prosecuting counsel, Mr. Kayode Oni, who led the witness in evidence, tendered the four mobile phones and Ogbu’s statements to the EFCC as Exhibits P8 to P13.

Earlier on March 21, 2013, a witness, Emike Ukhuedobah, had narrated how Ogbu had used her to defraud, Enechukwu, who happened to be husband to one of her aunts.

Ukhuedobah claimed she knew Ogbu through an advertorial the latter placed on love links page of the Vanguard Newspapers of March 7, 2009.

Ogbu, already in prison then, had portrayed himself in the advertorial as Prince Eze, who was seeking a woman aged between 34 and 45 to marry.

Following this, 43-year-old Ukhuedobah travelled from Abuja to Lagos to meet Ogbu, who told her he was temporarily detained in Kirikiri Prison for an alleged money laundering offence.

The duo’s relationship had continued with the hope that it could end up in marriage.

Ogbu, in the process, got to know Enechukwu.

“I wanted to go out of my domain and I was looking for friendship.

She said her aunt had been supporting her in the relationship with Ogbu, only for her to realise later that the woman’s husband had paid N12.3m into Ogbu’s account.

The money was allegdely paid into the accounts of Ogbu’s co-accused, to enable him to bribe EFCC officials to let him off the hook.

Ogbu was said to have told Enechukwu that his foreign partners were going to invest in the bank manager’s branch once he (Ogbu) was released from the prison.

The matter was adjourned to today.