Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned 38-year-old Raheem Abiodun Wasiu before the Enugu State High Court over an alleged $5,000 fraud involving a Bureau de Change operator.
Wasiu was arraigned before Justice H. O. Eya at the court sitting in Independence Layout on a two-count charge bordering on stealing by conversion and obtaining money by false pretence.
According to the charge, the defendant allegedly obtained $5,000 from Stanley Chukwuamuanya Ezekulie on July 6, 2026, in Enugu State, after representing that he would transfer the naira equivalent of the foreign currency to him.
The prosecution alleged that Wasiu promised to transfer ₦7.05 million to Ezekulie, a representation it said the defendant knew to be false.
The alleged offences contravene Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and are punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
Wasiu pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following his plea, the prosecution counsel, Chief Superintendent of the EFCC Chiekezie Raymond Edozie, asked the court to remand the defendant at the Nigerian Correctional Service facility in Enugu and grant an accelerated hearing of the case.
Defence counsel A. J. Ebube, however, made an oral application for bail on behalf of his client.
The prosecution opposed the application, telling the court that it had facts which, if presented, could make the court unwilling to grant bail. It also urged the court to expedite the proceedings.
Justice Eya adjourned the matter to October 28, 2026, for hearing of the bail application, while November 3 and 10 were fixed for trial.
Wasiu was subsequently remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service in Enugu.
The defendant was earlier arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) following a complaint by Ezekulie, who alleged that he had been defrauded of $5,000.
The EFCC said its subsequent investigation uncovered what it described as a pattern allegedly used by Wasiu to gain the confidence of Bureau de Change operators.
According to the commission, Wasiu allegedly rented different Toyota Hilux vehicles, presented himself as a wealthy contractor and moved around with escorts before meeting BDC operators in parts of the South-East and Akwa Ibom State.
The EFCC further alleged that after obtaining foreign currency from the operators, Wasiu presented purported naira payment alerts to convince them that the corresponding payments had been made.
The commission said the investigation was initially linked to the complaint involving Ezekulie but subsequently uncovered allegations concerning the defendant's dealings with other BDC operators.
The case follows an earlier EFCC investigation announced in August 2026, when the commission said it was probing Wasiu over alleged fraud involving $12,000. At that stage, the EFCC said the complaint before it involved $5,000 allegedly lost by Ezekulie, while investigations were ongoing into the wider allegations.
The latest arraignment has now brought the matter before the Enugu State High Court, where the prosecution will be required to establish its allegations against the defendant.
The allegations have not been proved in court. Wasiu pleaded not guilty and remains presumed innocent until proven guilty.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments