Read this story and pass along to others. It is very important for us to stand now as a nation to stop this mess on us!

Watch out before the end of the week for the full story on how importers lost over $1.5m to a single man who is in prison custody now in Abia state.



Alleged British-Fraudster Dupes Nigerian Fish Importers N216m

An offshore based exporter of Icelandic stock-fish products is suspected to have defrauded unsuspecting Nigeria based importers of the product by at least N216 million ($1,351,917.00) between 2005 and 2009. The exporter who is of British origin, trades with many different personal names as Nigel Francis, Mike Harding, Robert Defter amongst others and business names and styles of Skafur Marine Products, Maple Fisheries, Chafling limited , Finmar Fisheries Ltd amongst others according to information available to the press. It was gathered that Nigel Francis started his exploits on Nigerian importers numbering over a dozen as far back as 2005 when he defrauded an Aba based importer-My Dickson & Jones Ltd of $40,750 arising from short shipment and mixing of lower qualities with higher qualities. He transacted the business in the name and style of Finmar Fisheries Ltd. In 2006, he picked on Onwuka & Brothers Trading Co using Chafling Limited and defrauded them with the sum of $67,000. He received the money from Onwuka & Brothers through an appointed third party who also sent a confirmatory latter that the money was sent to Francis, according to Okechukwu Eze, an affected stock fish importer who is leading the traders’ team. In 2007, Nigel used Maple Fisheries to dupe Ezera International Ltd, $150,000, Rommy Thomas Nig. Ltd, $36,918 and S.E Eze & Co ltd, $42,650. He continued with Maple Fisheries in 2008 to defraud Rowland and Irene Trading Co/JS Christian Merchandise of $353,920, Emmy Jasper Link Ltd $18,189, Imress God Fisheries, $110,752, Jesus Lovers Co. Ltd, $26,730. In the same 2008, he used Skarfur Marine Products to access from Suk Connections Ltd the sum of $469,688. The Briton’s activity covered short shipments, shipment of lower qualities and outright no shipments in some cases. In 2009, he accessed $35,320 from Donasims & Co Ltd and many other importers that were not reached as at the time of this report, Pastor Rowland Nwosu, of Rowland and Irene Trading Co/JS Christian Merchandize, a victim confirmed. The Briton was arrested by the International police force following a petition by the Cargo Defence Fund (CDF) of Nigeria Shippers Council to the Nigeria Police Force, headquarters in Abuja after the affected traders petitioned CDF over the issue. He was arrested in Benin Republic late 2012 following a tip-off that Nigel was in Cotonou to sign another range of contracts with new unsuspecting Nigeria importers.

“The suspect was apprehended following a tip-off by the Aba traders while he was making a fresh move to obtain the sum of $5,500 from one Obinna Echianu under false pretense at Cotonou, Benin Republic,” Ships & Ports Daily reported.

Nigel who has since been remanded in the prisons is now facing trial at Aba based Magistrate Court. Impeccable source close to Nigel said that his family has provided 150,000 British Pounds for out of the court settlement. Confirming this, both Pastor Rowland Nwosu and Eze said the offer, though not documented, was not even acceptable to the affected sellers.

“You see, what he duped me is N54 million and he is offering about N37 million. That is a slap on us and so we cannot take that. This is about 10 per cent of what he duped us. So my dear it is not an offer yet,” Nwosu said. In the same vein, Eze has slammed the offer saying that he would prefer to have him jailed at the end of the day than accepting the pea nut.

In the meantime, another source close to the suspect, has informed the traders that Nigel would have bought his way out of the mess if not because of two traders who come from wealthy backgrounds. “He is not even intimidated by this mess and lot of other small weak traders if not because of you Eze and the other man who happen to have come from a financially strong background,” the source said.

Further investigation revealed that in other to have access to payments made to him through letters of Credit, Nigel had in the transaction with one of the traders who received no shipment at all, forged two bill of laden purporting them to have been issued by Emskip Shipping Line, the carrier Nigel used most of the time in shipping goods to his Nigerian business partners. The said Bills of Laden were disclaimed by the shipping line indicating that such bills never originated from the shipping line.

At the last hearing on 15th February, 2013 at Aba South Magistrate Court, the State Prosecution Counsel and the affected traders were pushing for the case to be transferred to the Federal High Court but his defense counsel wanted the case fully concluded at the magistrate court. “Our intension is to move the case to the Federal High Court where formal and serious trial would commence and also Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) could come in but his lawyer knows this, that is why they are afraid of accepting us move up,” Eze said.

In the meantime, Nigel is currently on the most wanted list by the Police force in Iceland for nefarious activities he has perpetrated across the stockfish processors and dealers in that country and the entire Europe.

It was a single effort of the CDF that tracked the suspected fraudster after many attempts by the traders to track him down failed. Cargo Defence Fund (CDF) is a project of the Nigerian Shippers' Council set up with the approval of the Federal Government of Nigeria to assist Nigerian importers and exporters in the pursuit of their claims recoveries and legal remedies. It is a public-private synergy, a nonprofit company limited by guarantee. The Fund acts as a Mutual Scheme for Nigerian importers and exporters and is managed and administered by a private sector led Board of Trustees. CDF also handles all export and import business contracts and consultancies in line with the international standards and practice for both importers and exporters.