17:19 16/06/2015
Lagos - The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has
arraigned a university student for defrauding a United Kingdom citizen
vast amounts of foreign currency in an alleged romance scam.
Ebiechina
Chikeluba has appeared before Justice Ipaye of the High Court of Lagos
State, Ikeja on a 17-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false
pretence, impersonation, forgery and using false documents.
It
is alleged Chikeluba, who met his victim on Facebook using the false
identity of, Lisa T. Jackson, a United States citizen, has been making
monetary demands of his victims, using varies guises.
In one such
alleged instance in March 2013, he obtained more than of £54 000 from
one K. Oaks through Western Union on the pretext that he was an American
woman dealing in Gold in Nigeria and needed money to increase her
capital. The unsuspecting victim paid, having already agreed to marry
the alleged conman.
He is pleading not guilty.
In
view of the plea of the accused, prosecution counsel, Andrew Akoja
asked for a trial date and prayed the court to remand the defendant in
prison custody.
The defence counsel, Chijioke Agu informed the
court that he had already filed an application for bail and asked to be
allowed to move his application.
However, Justice Ipaye adjourned
the matter to July 20 for hearing of bail application and ordered that
the defendant be remanded in custody.
Operatives of the EFCC arrested Chikeluba, 21, a student of Federal Science and Technical College Yaba, Lagos in February.
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