The Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned a couple, Emmanuel Dike and Ugochi Eziaku Dike, along with their company, Dike & Phil Associates Ltd, on Wednesday. The charges brought against them, totaling five counts, include allegations of conspiracy, obtaining money under false pretense, and criminal conversion of funds for personal use.
The accused were specifically charged with offenses outlined in Section 1(1) (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act. The charges relate to actions taken between August 24, 2020, and February 15, 2021, where the couple, alongside others, purportedly defrauded Captain Chukwuemeka Stanley Ikeri and his company, Clipboard Office Superstores Limited, of the sum of Five Hundred Million Naira (N500,000,000.00). The funds were obtained under the false pretense of investment, promising a 10% return.
In response to the charges, the couple pleaded not guilty during the court proceedings. Dr. B. Ubi, the prosecution counsel, requested a trial date, while defense counsel J. C. Okeke sought bail for the defendants to adequately prepare for the trial.
Justice Ajoku granted bail to the defendants in the amount of One Million Naira (N1,000,000.00) each, with two sureties each in like sum. The sureties, who must be civil or public servants with the Rivers State or Federal Government of Nigeria and on grade level 12 and above, are required to deposit two recent passport photographs with the court registry. Additionally, they must be residents of Port Harcourt, possess a Certificate of Occupancy, and provide official letters of identification from their department heads.
The prosecution is mandated to verify the sureties within 48 hours and submit certified true copies of letters from their respective department heads to the court. Pending the fulfillment of bail conditions, the defendants were remanded in the Port Harcourt Correctional Service. The trial is scheduled to commence on January 30, 2024.
The arrest of the defendants stems from allegations of conspiracy, obtaining money under false pretense, and conversion of funds. According to the petitioner, the first defendant, a former banker with Polaris Bank, enticed the victim in July 2021 with promises of an investment opportunity yielding 10% returns through Clipboard Office Super Stores Limited. Subsequently, the victim paid substantial sums based on directives for contract executions, only to discover that the funds totaling N500 million were allegedly converted for personal use by the defendants, with attempts at a refund proving futile.
