EFCC arraigns man for N8.1m land fraud in Enugu

The Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a man, Paulinus Ani before Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court sitting in the state on a one-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N8,130,000.

The EFCC, on its X handle on Monday, disclosed this with his charge, “That you, Paulinus Ani, sometime between October 2015 and June 2018 at Enugu, Enugu State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, with intent to defraud, induced one Severus Ifeanyi Odoziobodo to deliver to you the sum of N8,130,000.00…under the pretence that you would sell to him seven (7) plots of land…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 No. 14 of 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”

It added that Ani pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him.

Given his plea, and counsel to the EFCC, Nasir Umar prayed to the court for a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded at the Enugu Correctional Facility.

However, O. S. Imaji, the defence counsel told the court about a pending bail application before it and thereafter moved the said application, urging the court to grant the defendant bail on liberal terms, adding that the defendant had a reliable surety.