N30m Fraud: EFCC arraigns herbalist who impersonates Baru, Adesina

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, Ilorin Zonal Office has arraigned a 31-year-old herbalist, Jamiu Isiaka on a four-count charge in a Kwara State High Court, before Justice M. Abdulgafar for impersonating the group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr Maikanti Baru and the special adviser to the president on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina and duping a Korean national in the process.

The suspect, with others at large, allegedly used the names of the senior government officials to scam a South Korean national, Keun Sig Kim to the tune of N30million (Thirty Million Naira) under a false pretence of securing for him an NNPC approval/marketing form and license certificate to buy crude oil in Nigeria.

According to Kim, "I transferred Four Thousand, Two Hundred and Eighty-five United States Dollars, Seventy-one cents only to the United Bank of Africa, account number 2107575870 in the name of one Jamiu Isiaka, an associate of Mr Shola Adeshina. It is noteworthy that this account particulars have been provided severally for me to make transfer to."
 

During interrogation with the officials of the Commission, Isiaka claimed that he used the money to conduct sacrifice for the petitioner. He further claimed to have bought a vulture, skin of elephant, elephant intestine, skull of a lion and liver of gorilla among others.

Count one of the charge reads: "That you, Jamiu Isiaka (a.k.a Femi Adesina ) between the month of April and September 2018 in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the total sum of $88,521,041 (Eighty Eight Thousand, Five Hundred And Twenty One Dollars, Forty-one cents] from a Korean national, Keun Sig Kim by false pretences that the monies was for the procurement of NNPC approval/marketing form and license certificate to buy crude oil in Nigeria, facts which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 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 prosecuting counsel, Andrew Akoja asked the court for a trial date and prayed that he be remanded in prison custody.

Justice Abdulgafar ordered the accused to be remanded in Mandala Prisons and adjourned the matter to June 19, 2019 for commencement of trial.