INCACERATION did not stop Ikechukwu Ogbu from his ways, alleged the law enforcement officials who accuse him of carrying out a scheme from behind bars to swindle a bank manager in Lagos of no less than 12.3 million naira.
According to an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission official who testified against Ogbu in a Lagos High Court on Thursday, Ogbu carried out his scheme from behind bars at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison in Lagos.
The 49-yearold Ogbu was serving a 15-year jail term for fraud, according to Mr. Alex Ogbole, the EFCC investigative officer who testified against him.
In a trial led by Justice Lateefat Okunnu, Ogbo is being prosecuted alongside others that include John Chinonso, 29, and Chuks Ibebagwu, 24.
According to the EFCC the men are members of the syndicate used by the convict to perpetrate the fraud from behind bars.
The three defendants were arraigned on March 24, 2011 on a 10-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretences.
Ogbole was led in evidence by EFCC counsel, Mr. Kayode Oni.
The witness said that Ogbu defrauded Mr. Pat Enechukwu in May 2009.
He said that Ogbu, who was sentenced in 2008, placed an advertorial on the Love Links page of the Vanguard newspaper of March 7, 2009.
“In the advert, he claimed that he was Prince Eze from Anambra State, living in Lagos, and urgently needed a working class lady of between 39 years and 45 years to marry.
“One Ms. Emike Ukhuedobah, an in-law to the complainant (Enechukwu), then, responded to the advert and called him via the telephone number he provided on the link.
“He invited her to Lagos,” Ogbole testified.
The witness said that Ukhuedobah called the convict when he got to Lagos and that he told her that he was being detained in the Kirikiri Maximum Prison by the EFCC over a matter relating to money laundering.
“He told the woman to come over to the prison to meet with him. On getting there, she was accorded a VIP (Very Important Personality) treatment by the warders.
“This gave her the impression that Ogbu was an influential personality who was being detained over a minor issue; so, they started a relationship,” the prosecution witness said.
He said that Ogbu later told the woman that one of his partners from the U.S. wanted to send some money to him.
“Ogbu told her that he was afraid of lodging the money in his own account for fear that it could be seized by the EFCC.
“He begged her to help him to look for an account where the money could be lodged without being traced to him,” he testified.
Ogbole said that the woman, then, contacted the banker and told him about the business.
He said the bank manager travelled from Port Harcourt to Lagos to see Ogbu.
“He told Enechukwu that the person bringing the money from America said that he will not release it until he (Ogbu) comes out of prison.
“Ogbu told him (Enechukwu) that he needed to bribe EFCC officials, and that he should pay some money into some accounts to facilitate the release.
“He gave the complainant’s telephone number to fake EFCC officials who were members of the syndicate.
“They started calling him, demanding for all sorts of money to carry out other activities on Ogbu’s behalf; at the end of the day, he lost over N12.3 million to the fraudsters.
“Enechukwu discovered that he had been duped when the much-awaited 2.5 million U.S. dollar transaction did not materialise,’’ he said.
The witness told the court that the complainant also later discovered that Ogbu was a prisoner and not being detained by the EFCC.
Ogbole said this made the banker to petition the EFCC, which investigated the matter and arrested the other two defendants whose bank accounts were used for the transactions.
The trial is slated to continue on January 21.
NAN.