Crime & Court
N9m Visa Scam : Fake travel agent jailed for 7 years
A fake Travel Agent, Iheanacho Chikwendu, has been convicted and sentenced to seven years imprisonment by Justice Emeka Isiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Umuahia, Abia State for defrauding his victims the sum of N9,000,000.00( Nine Million Naira only).
Chikwendu was jailed on March 19, 2021 after a four- year trial in a 10- count charge preferred against him by the Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The charges bordered on obtaining money by false pretence.
Count One of the charges read: “That you Iheanacho Chikwendu on or about the 15th September, 2016 at Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud obtained the sum of Four Million Naira only N4, 000, 000. 00 through your First Bank Plc Account number 3078148618 by false pretense, when you presented yourself as a travel agent to Mary Nwankwo and capable of procuring a Canadian Visa for her daughters, a pretense you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary Section 1 (1) (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under 1(3) of the same Act”.
Count Three also read,”That you Iheanacho Chikwendu on or the 23rd of November, 2016 at Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud obtained the sum of Three Million Five -Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira only N3,550, 000.00 through your First Bank plc Account number 3078148618by false pretense, when you presented yourself as a travel agent to Mary Nwankwo and capable of procuring a Canadian Visa for her daughters, a pretense you knew to be false and thereby committed an Offence contrary Section 1 (1) (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No 14 of 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act”.
The defendant, however pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, thereby prompting a full-trial of the case that lasted four years.
Justice Isiagor, in his judgment, found Chikwendu guilty, convicted, and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment on counts 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8, and discharged him on counts 1, 4, 9, & 10 of the charges. He ordered him to make restitution of N9million to the victim.
Justice Maryanne Anenih of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has issued a public summons for former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello to appear in court to respond to a fresh 16-count indictment.
The summons requires Bello to attend court on October 24 for his arraignment, alongside co-defendants Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu.
The public summons was ordered following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In her ruling, Justice Anenih directed the EFCC to publish the summons in a widely circulated newspaper to ensure proper notification.
Also, the court instructed the EFCC to post copies of the public summons at Bello’s last known address and in conspicuous locations within the court premises.
The EFCC has reported difficulties in serving the charges, which were filed on September 24, alleging that Bello and the two co-defendants committed a criminal breach of trust involving a staggering ₦110.4 billion.
A Police Inspector, Mohammed Bulama, attached to the Police Mobile Force (PMF) 41 in Yobe State, has been arrested for allegedly killing a 39-year-old civilian, Abdulmalik Dauda, during a confrontation in Damaturu, the state capital.
The incident, which occurred on September 29, 2024, was sparked by a heated argument between Bulama and Dauda over “uncleared transactions” in the Zango area of Damaturu. The argument escalated, leading Bulama to fatally stab Dauda in the chest.
In a statement, the Yobe State Police spokesperson, Dungus Abdulkarim, confirmed Bulama’s arrest and announced that an investigation into the homicide case had been launched.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Garba Ahmed, has ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into the incident involving Inspector Mohammed Bulama,” Abdulkarim said.
He further disclosed that the officer has been placed in custody, pending internal disciplinary action and prosecution.
CP Ahmed condemned the actions of the officer, extending his condolences to the family of the victim.
He also assured the public that justice would be served swiftly in accordance with the law.
The Lagos State Police Command has summoned three officers accused of extorting N1 million from members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the Surulere area of Lagos.
Footage of the incident, which went viral on social media late Friday, shows the officers confronting the corps members, reportedly over the absence of a physical copy of a driver’s license. The video was shared by social media user Oluyemi Fasipe, who claimed that the officers threatened the corps members with firearms and forcibly took them to the Kafaru Oluwole Tinubu House, the Area C Command of the Lagos State Police, where they allegedly extorted the sum of N1 million.
“Dear @BenHundeyin, Your officers today in Surulere extorted 1 million naira from three corps members,” Fasipe wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “They were threatened with firearms, kidnapped, and taken to the KAFARU OLUWOLE TINUBU HOUSE AREA C POLICE COMMAND of the @LagosPoliceNG where they were robbed.”
Fasipe added that the entire incident stemmed from the corps members’ inability to present a physical copy of a driver’s license, a situation he described as “evil.”
In one of the videos, the officers are seen inspecting the vehicle’s documents, with the situation escalating as additional officers arrived. One officer can be seen entering the car and demanding that the corps members stop recording the incident, while also prohibiting them from contacting their families.
In response, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the officers involved have been summoned, and an investigation is underway.
“The men have been summoned, and their trial has commenced,” Hundeyin wrote on X. “We urge the complainants to visit the Complaint Response Unit at the State Headquarters to testify at the ongoing trial.”
