The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested Mr. Vincent Ayewah, an aide of the Chief Executive Officer, The Rose of Sharon, a nongovernmental organisation, Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija, over an alleged N3m fraud. Six others were also arrested by the operatives of the commission on the same deal.

A statement by the spokesman of the commission Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said that their arrest was sequel to a petition by Alakija, alleging that Ayewah, one of her employees, fraudulently misappropriated the funds meant for the beneficiaries of the foundation’s empowerment scheme.

In the petition, she had alleged that Ayewah impersonated and stole various cheques and withdrew monies meant for orphans and widows in care of the foundation.

The statement said that Ayewah allegedly forged the cheques of the foundation’s Stanbic IBTC bank account and got one Miss Florence Ayewah and their friends to cash the forged cheques by presenting them with fake identity cards. The statement reads: “In the course of investigation, it was discovered that Vincent used his position to enlist his family members as beneficiaries of the scheme.

“Specifically, the foundation had been able to establish his mother, who is a widow in a petty trade and was paying the school fees of his sister, Florence Ayewah, a student of Lagos City Polytechnic. “Vincent confessed that he fell for the scam due to his poor background and being the only breadwinner of his family. He admitted that when cheques are ready for some beneficiaries of the foundation, “I divert them and get my siblings and friends to cash at banks.

I also arrange ID cards bearing the name on cheques with their faces on it for bank clearance.” Florence was arrested at a Stanbic IBTC bank in Lagos while trying to cash a forged cheque number 03378 in the sum of N97, 000 in favour of one Ms Olubunmi Juliana Ishola.

Besides Vincent, six other members of the syndicate involved in the scam and who have also been arrested are: George Ehizibolo, Onwuwa David, Okonkwo Chikadibia, Emmanuel Ayewah, Florence Ayewah and Chinyere Awanah Vincent admitted to have at, various times, sent his younger sister, Florence and her friend Chinyere and his younger brother, Emmanuel, to banks with fake identity cards.

He also admitted to have acquired a Honda Accord car with registration number: UA 845 AAA from the proceeds of the crime. The suspects will be arraigned in court soon.
http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/efcc-arrests-alakijas-aide-over-n3m-fraud/