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How 1.5bn Naira Fraud Rocks Office Of Ebonyi SSG, Grace Umezurike

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How 1.5bn Naira Fraud Rocks Office Of Ebonyi SSG

How 1.5bn Naira Fraud Rocks Office Of Ebonyi SSG, Grace Umezurike

How 1.5bn naira fraud Rocks office of Ebonyi SSG, Grace Umezurike . The Secretary to Ebonyi State Government, Professor Grace Umezurike has been accused by Concerned Ebonyi Good Governance Advocate, Sir Nwoba Chika Nwoba for alleged diversion of the sum of N1.5 billion.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Mr Nwoba alleged that Professor Umezurike was given N4 billion by the Ebonyi State Government to procure bags of rice in 2023 for Christmas celebration across the state in 2023.

Nwoba said unfortunately, the rice presented by the SSG fell short of what N4 billion could buy.

According to him, “subsequent investigation was launched to unravel the game played by the SSG. It was discovered that the SSG pocketed N1.5 billion for herself, lodging it in different UBA bank accounts bearing her name and an aide of Sen. David Umahi, Onyeabo Ngene.”

The statement reads in full,

” This is to bring to the notice of the Ebonyi people and the general public the financial malfeasance going on in the current Government of Ebonyi State, the immediate one being the case of diversion of the sum of N1.5 billion by the secretary to the government of Ebonyi State, Professor Grace Umezurike.

Professor Umezurike was given N4 billion by the Ebonyi State Government to procure bags of rice in 2023 for Christmas celebration across the state in 2023. Unfortunately, the rice presented by the SSG fell short of what N4 billion could buy.”

“Subsequent investigation was launched to unravel the game played by the SSG. It was discovered that the SSG pocketed N1.5 billion for herself, lodging it in different UBA bank accounts bearing her name and an aide of Sen. David Umahi, Onyeabo Ngene. The Economic & Financial Crimes Commission invited her for questioning, but was soon blocked by Gov. Nwifuru for reasons not far from not exposing the disturbing quantity of corruption going on in his government.

But soon, the EFCC on its own went and obtained a court order from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State- based Federal High Court to gain forfeiture of the said amount of money lying dormant in the SSG’s bank accounts clearly traced to the botched Christmas rice procurement exercise.

See the attached pictures of the order of the court granting the request of the EFCC to recover the loot.”

“This whole heartbreaking episode was meant to be kept discreet to further give inspiration to the SSG and her acolytes in the looting spree going on in the current Ebonyi State Government.

So, I extracted it and decided to bring notice of members of the public to it. This is almost the smallest of such heists going on in the government which the governor, Francis Nwifuru is chiefly complicit in by always shielding the looters anytime they’re caught in the act.

Was it even the right thing to do giving an appointee of the government a contract, let alone to the tune of N4 billion? .”

“As a concerned Ebonyi child and a stakeholder in the contemporary Ebonyi project in my own right, I’m lending my voice to the call that the EFCC should arrest, arraign and secure a judgment against this depraved public office holder-SSG.

How 1.5bn Naira Fraud Rocks Office Of Ebonyi SSG

How 1.5bn Naira Fraud Rocks Office Of Ebonyi SSG

It’s noteworthy that this same SSG recently built three storey buildings in three places at the Ugwuachara axis of Abakaliki. This was the same woman who got her PhD around 2017 and by 2023 she became a Professor of Philosophy at the Ebonyi State University.

Everything about her seems to be shrouded in corruption and this goes a long mile to mean that Gov. Nwifuru assembled the worst team to help him wreck the ship of Ebonyi State. Concluding, I am urging the EFCC to expedite action in arraigning this SSG and use her to set deterrence for accountability in Ebonyi State.

At the same vein, her accomplices should be brought to reprimand as she may not have carried out the heist alone.

This is important moreover as the document indicting her undisputably is in the public background already. “

Crime

EFCC Arrests Serial Fraudster Over Alleged N20m Visa Fraud In Enugu

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EFCC

EFCC Arrests Serial Fraudster Over Alleged N20m Visa Fraud In Enugu

EFCC arrests serial fraudster over alleged N20m visa fraud in Enugu. He said the suspect would be charged to court as soon as investigations were concluded.

Its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Oyewale said the suspect was facing interrogation for allegedly obtaining N19.9 million from three victims under the pretence of assisting them to process visas.

He listed the three petitioners as Osmond Ugwu, Ugwu Chidubem, and Amadiani Chinedu, who alleged that they were defrauded by the suspect.

According to him, Mr Ugwu claimed that he met the suspect in 2018 when he was planning to travel abroad.

“The suspect reportedly presented himself as a visa agent, and lured him with an offer of a Red-cross sponsored visa to the United States of America at the cost of N1.8 million, excluding his flight ticket.

“Ugwu allegedly paid N4 million for the arrangement as well as other payments, which brought the total sum the suspect collected from him to N11.8 million.”

Mr Oyewale also said that the second petitioner, Mr Chidubem, claimed that the suspect conspired with his friend to defraud him of the sum of N5.9 million.

“The suspect assured Chidubem that he will procure genuine documents for him to further pursue his football career abroad.

“The third victim, Chinedu, in his own petition alleged that the suspect defrauded him to the tune of N2.2 million to procure a work permit and an accompanying visa to enable him to migrate to Australia.

EFCC

EFCC

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the 44-year-old suspect, who is an electrical engineer, was parading himself as a visa processing agent who helps people to migrate abroad easily.

“It was also discovered that he is not a licensed travel agent,” Mr Oyewale said.

He added that the suspect would be charged to court as soon as investigations were concluded.

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Crime

Court Sentences Former Accountant-General Nwabuoku To 72 Years In Prison Over N868m Fraud

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Court

Court Sentences Former Accountant-General Nwabuoku To 72 Years In Prison Over N868m Fraud

Former accountant-general Nwabuoku to 72 years in prison. Delivering judgment on Monday, James Omotosho, presiding judge, held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had proved its case against Nwabuoku.

Nwabuoku was arraigned on a nine-count amended charge bordering on money laundering and fraud to the tune of N868.4 million.

He was granted bail in the sum of N500 million with two sureties in like sum.

In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/240/2024, the anti-graft agency accused Nwabuoku of conspiring with several companies, including Temeeo Synergy Concept Limited, Turge Global Investment Limited, Laptev Bridge Limited, and Arafura Transnational Afro Limited, to convert funds suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.

The alleged offence, according to the EFCC, contravenes section 18 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012), and is punishable under section 15(3) of the Act.

The commission said Nwabuoku committed the offences while serving as the director of finance and accounts in the ministry of defence between 2019 and 2021.

The former acting accountant general had filed a no-case submission which was dismissed by the court in November 2025.

Court

Court

Nwabuoku was appointed acting accountant-general of the federation on May 20, 2022, by then President Muhammadu Buhari, following the suspension of Ahmed Idris over alleged N80 billion fraud.

But Nwabuoku was removed from the position in July 2022, barely weeks after assuming office, following reports that he was under EFCC investigation.

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Contractor Julius Ejiogu Bags Two Years Imprisonment For Forgery

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Friends Jailed 12 Months For Stealing Clothes In Jos

Contractor Julius Ejiogu Bags Two Years Imprisonment For Forgery

Justice F. A. Olubanjo of the Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State has convicted and sentenced Julius Ejiogu, a contractor to two years imprisonment for forgery.

The convict was arraigned on a three -count charge of conspiracy, forgery and uttering of false document on March 23, 2021 by the Benin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Upon arraignment, he pleaded not guilty to the charge setting the stage for trial.

The charge reads: “That you Julius Eljiogu and one Engr. E. Expert (at large) on or about the 2nd of August 2013, at Delta State within the jurisdiction of this honourable did conspires amongst yourselves to committed felony to wit: make a document titled Award of Contract for the Construction of Obudu-operation Road in Udu L.G.A. Delta State dated 2nd August 2013 on a letterhead paper on the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, purported to have been issued or emanated from NDDC for the award of Contract which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offence Act Cap M17 of the Revised Edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) Act 2007 and punishable under Section 3 (1)(C) of the same Act.”

In the course of the trial, prosecution counsel, K.Y. Bello called four witnesses and tendered several documents which were admitted by the court while the defendant testified as sole witness for his case.

Friends Jailed 12 Months For Stealing Clothes In Jos

Jail

Justice Olubanjo in his judgment (on Thursday January 15, 2026) found the defendant guilty on count one of the charge but discharged and acquitted him on count two and three . The judge consequently sentenced the defendant to two years imprisonment with an option of N1 million fine.

The convict’s road to jail began when he purportedly got a letter for the award of Contract for the Construction of Obudu-Oleri Road in Udu Local Government Area, Delta State from one Engr. Eshitt of the Niger Delta Development Commission. He went ahead to sell the contract to the petitioner for N2 million only for him to discover that the said contract award was fake.

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