The Port Harcourt zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission says it has arrested a man suspected of using its
chairman’s name to blackmail directors of the Niger Delta Development
Commission (NDDC).
In a statement signed by Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC’s spokesman, the
commission said Robert Swem Terfa, the suspect, sought bribes from the
NDDC officials to “kill phantom corruption investigations” against
them.
Terfa was arrested in Juanita Hotel, Port Harcourt, where he was
holding a meeting with some NDDC directors over a “phoney offer to
remove their names from the list of individuals being investigated by
the commission”.
Allegedly claiming to be representing Ibrahim Magu, Terfa was said to
have assured the directors that their names would be removed from an
NDDC audit ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The commission also said it arrested a syndicate of internet
fraudsters who used a cloned document of the EFCC and Magu’s forged
signature to defraud Patricia Walker, a 60-year-old American lady.
The four-man gang was arrested on Friday by EFCC’s Benin zonal office
using intelligence obtained from the victim.
“The suspects are: Onoghere Romina ( aka Pastor Joseph Romeo),
Emoregan Fidelis Kelly ( aka Williams Brian), Sunday Obi (aka Stuart
Symington) and Remember Akpobome,” the statement read.
“They are alleged to have defrauded Walker of an aggregate sum of
$850,000 in a dating scam. The syndicate started milking Walker in
2014 when they defrauded her of $375,163.63.
“To further hoodwink Walker to part with more money, the syndicate in
2017 forwarded forged documents and letters, including a fake letter
of guarantee from EFCC and purportedly signed by the Chairman, Ibrahim
Magu and one Yomi Balogun whom they claimed is the Head of Operations,
Lagos.
“In the said letter, the syndicate told their victim to pay $157,000
in order to receive ‘your consignment boxes in our custody of $10
million and another $3 million deposited in our office a few days ago
by OFAC”.
“Items recovered from the suspects include forged documents, including
‘Payment Guarantee’ from the Office of the President of Nigeria and
mobile phones.”
The EFCC said all the suspects will be charged to court as soon as
investigations are completed.
