LAGOS—Three pastors David
Eshiet, Samson Ugbara and
Adesanmi Aderoju, were
yesterday arraigned by the
Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, over
alleged N7.9 million fraud .
The defendants who were
arraigned before Justice
Olabisi Akinlade of an Ikeja
High Court, are facing a six-
count charge bordering on
conspiracy, obtaining money
by false pretences, forgery
and uttering.
The defendants were
charged by the anti-graft
agency alongside their
company, Prince and Zion
International Service Ltd.
The defendants pleaded not
guilty to the charges
proffered against them.
The trio were accused of
defrauding their victims of
the sum under the pretense
of helping them to secure
large sum of money as loan.
The EFCC counsel, Mr Ben Ubi
alleged that the defendants
had conspired among
themselves to fraudulently
obtain N4 million and 25,000 US
dollars (N3.9 million) from one
Angel Estate Residents
Development Association in
Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos.
Ubi alleged that the money
was obtained on October 27,
2011 under the pretext of
helping the complainants
source for a 100 million US
dollars loan facility.
He stated that the loan was
being sourced by the
association to finance some
community projects, adding
that the defendants had
obtained the money as
processing charges.
Ubi, however accused the
defendants of forging
various documents which
were used in facilitating the
fraud.
Adding that after collecting
the money, they failed to
secure the loan as promised
which led the complainants to
petition the EFCC.
Ubi said their alleged
offences contravened
Sections 1, sub-sections 1,2,3
and 8 of the Advanced Fee
Fraud and other Fraud
Related Offences Act, Laws
of the Federation of Nigeria.
He said it also contravened
Sections 363 and 364 of the
Criminal Laws of Lagos State
2011.
However the judge ordered
the defendants be remanded
in Kirikiri Maximum Security
Prisons pending the hearing
of their bail applications
fixed for March 27.
www.vanguardngr.com/2013/03/efcc-arraigns-3-pastors-over-n7-9m-fraud/