Simon Udeani and his wife, Dorcas.
The Enugu branch of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission took a man named Simon Udeani and his wife, Dorcas, to court in front of Judge M.G. Umar at the Federal High Court in Enugu.
According to an EFCC statement on Tuesday, the couple is facing charges related to a three-count case involving a suspected land fraud where they allegedly got N2,750,000 through deceiving others.
One of the accusations leveled against the Udeanis states, “That you Udeani Simon Sunday and Udeani Dorcas Amaka, between July 10, 2019 and December 19, 2019 in Enugu, Enugu State, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, with intent to defraud, induced one Onugu Angela Chinyere to deliver to you the sum of N2.7m under the pretence that you would sell to her a plot of land behind Ebenezer Anglican Church, Ala-Uguaji along Enugu/Port Harcourt Road, which pretence you knew to be false and 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.”
The statement mentioned that the Udeanis denied the charges. Subsequently, the prosecuting counsel, Nurudeen Ingawa, requested a trial date, and the defense counsel, E.C. Nwauba Esq, applied for their release on bail.
Justice Umar approved their release on bail with a condition of N5 million and one surety providing the same amount. The case was postponed until February 6, 2024.
In another instance, Johnson Aniekwe faced charges before Justice Cyprian Ajah at the Enugu State High Court. The three-count charges involved accusations of falsely obtaining N9,170,000.00 through pretense, forgery, and impersonation.
Johnson Aniekwe.
One of the charges against him reads: “That you Johnson Aniekwe sometime in August 2019 in Enugu, Enugu State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, induced one Aneke Kanayo to deliver to you the sum of N9,170,000.00 (Nine Million, One Hundred and Seventy Thousand Naira) under the pretence that you will allocate two plots of land, situated at Valley View Estate Extension and Golf Estate, which pretence you knew to be false and 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.”
He denied the charges, and then Nurudeen Ingawa, who is the one trying to prove the case, requested a date to have a trial. At the same time, A.G. Anyigo, who is helping the defendant, asked the court to let him go on bail.
Justice Ajah accepted the bail request and postponed the case until March 7, 2024.