The
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has dragged a brother to the
Deputy Governor of Edo State to court over a grievous crime.
Men of the EFCC
One Joseph Ovbokhan Odubu and his company, Even Handed Services
Limited have been sued to court by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, on Monday October 17, 2016.
The man was before Justice P. I. Ajoku of the Federal High Court,
sitting in Benin, Edo State on a 3-count charge bordering on forgery,
uttering and obtaining money by false presence to the tune of Nine
Million Three Hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira (N9, 360,000.00).
According to NTA, Joseph, a brother to the deputy governor Edo
State, Pius Odubu, who is also the Managing Director of Even Handed
Services Limited allegedly used forged documents to obtain a loan
facility of Nine Million Three hundred and sixty thousand naira
(N9,360,000.00) on September 5, 2014 from First Bank Plc to facilitate
the supply of chairs and desks in Edo State.
One of the count reads: “that you Odubu Joseph Ovbokhan and
Even Handed Services Limited on or about the 9th day of September, 2014
in Benin within the Jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, with intent
to defraud obtained the sum of (N9,360,000.00) Nine Million Three
Hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira in credit from First Bank of Nigeria
Limited, by deceitfully presenting a letter of domiciliation which you
used as a farce and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section
1(1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and
punishable by Section 1(3) of the same law."
Another count reads: “that you Odubu Joseph Ovbokhan and Even
Handed Services Limited on or about the 12th day of May, 2015 in Benin
within the Jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, with intent to defraud
and to facilitate fraud, forged a document captioned ‘REQUEST FOR
CONFIRMATION OF JOB COMPLETION TO OUR BANKERS (FIRST BANK, BENIN MISSION
ROAD, BRANCH’ purporting that the said document was received by Edo
State Oil and Gas Producing-Areas Development Commission, with intent
that it may be acted upon as genuine, a pretext which you knew to be
false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(2)(c) of
the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17 of the Revised Edition (Laws of
the Federation of Nigeria) Act, 2007 and punishable under Section 1(2)
of the same Act.”
He pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him.
In view of his plea, the prosecution counsel, C. A. Okoli asked the
court to fix a date for the commencement of trial and that the accused
person be remanded in prison custody.
However, counsel to the defendant, Osama Idehen made an oral
application for bail which was refused by the court as she was asked to
file a formal application.
Justice Ajoku adjourned the case to November 22, 2016 for trial and ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison custody.
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