The Uyo Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned one Ofonime Monday Akpan before Justice A. A. Okeke of the Federal High Court, sitting in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital on a five-count charge, bordering on forgery and obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N39million.
Akpan was arrested by the EFCC, following a petition from one Kenneth Ubak, Managing Director of Doodle Design Concept Nigeria Limited, alleging that the defendant duped him of N39,000,000 (Thirty Nine Million Naira) in a land matter.
According to the petitioner, between April 27, 2017 and July 5, 2017, he paid the defendant, the sum of N39million for the purchase of three hectares of land, located at Mbiakong Village, in Uruan Local Government Area of Akwa-Ibom state.
According to Ubak, when he was to take possession of the land, he contacted the defendant with a letter dated May 5, 2018, which he addressed to Nung Nkim Family, the owners of the land, demanding for demarcation of the land. Surprisingly, the letter he said, angered the defendant, who issued threats to him, including a threat to kill him.
The complainant disclosed that he only realized that he has been duped when he found out that the Power-of-Attorney which the defendant claimed he obtained over the land, was forged.
One of the charges against Akpan reads: “That you Ofonime Monday Akpan (m) between 27th April, 2017 and 5th July, 2017 at Uyo, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court with intent to defraud, did obtain a total sum of N39, 000, 000 (Thirty Nine Million Naira) only from Kenneth Ubak as payment for three hectares of land at Mbiakong Village, Uruan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act”.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
In view of his not guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, Adebayo Soares, prayed the court to remand the defendant in prison custody and fix a date for his trial.
The defence counsel, Effiong Udofia, however, made an oral application for his bail, which was opposed by the prosecution counsel on the ground that the defendant had enough time to serve the prosecution the bail application, but failed to do so.
Justice Okeke upheld the objection of the prosecution and ordered the remand of the defendant in Uyo Prisons. He adjourned the matter to May 21, 2019 for the hearing of bail application.