The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Kaduna Zonal Office, on January 24, 2019 arraigned one David Eseli before Justice Mohammed Tukur of the Kaduna State High Court, on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining by false pretence and employment scam.
Eseli was arrested by operatives of the EFCC acting on a petition by one Mrs. Hauwa Musa, who alleged that sometime in November 2017, she was called via a โstrangeโ phone number, which the person later disguised as a staff of Guarantee Trust Bank, GTB and advertised a job at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp, NSCDC, for her relatives.
She further alleged that she was persuaded to succumb to the request and thereafter informed her husband (Musa Ibrahim), and she was instructed to furnished names of her candidates which she did. She then paid the sum of N365, 000 and additional money which he claimed was for medicals, training, accommodation and feeding through different account names and numbers.
Upon completion of the payment, the suspect sent copies of employment letters offered by the NSCDC and later disappeared and subsequently switched off his phone.
One of the counts reads: โThat you, David Eseli and others now at large, sometime in 2017 in Kaduna within the Kaduna Judicial Division of the High Court did with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N365,000 from Mr & Mrs Musa Ibrahim Hiza under false pretence that you will secure employment in NSCDC for their children, a pretence you knew was false, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offence Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Actโ.
He pleaded โnot guiltyโ to the charge.
In view of his plea, EFCC counsel, Onyeka Ekweozor, urged the court to fix a date for โcommencement of trialโ, while the defendant was ordered to be remanded in prison.
Defence counsel, M.C. Ajoko, however, made an oral application for the bail of his client.
But, Ekweozor opposed the application.
In his ruling, Justice Tukur ordered that the defendant should be remanded in prison, and adjourned the case to February 28, 2019 for โhearingโ.
