A Federal High Court in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, has sentenced one Emeka Anaga to 28 years imprisonment over a 38-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money under false pretence, forgery and uttering to the tune of N39, 605,000.
The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) brought Anaga before Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court, who handed down the ruling on Thursday, August 25.
According to the case file, the defendant tricked one Innocent Nwachukwu (Inno Maiduguri), a businessman based in Nkwo Nnewi, Nnewi North LGA of Anambra State, to pay the said sum in tranches of N1 million on the pretext that he would help him to secure contracts to supply fuel to power the generators of the masts of all major telephone networks in Delta, Kano and, Ebonyi states. He had introduced himself as a contractor with MTN and Etisalat networks, charged with mounting masts in various locations in Isu, Ebonyi State.
After waiting in vain for the contracts, Nwanchukwu demanded a refund, but the defendant failed to oblige him.
One of the charges against Anaga reads, “that you, Emeka Anaga, between May and July 2017, at Abakaliki, Ebonyi State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the sum of N3,825,000.00 from one Innocent Nwachukwu, Managing Director of I.B Nwachukwu Enterprises, through a UBA Account number 2080393780 belonging to Buchitech Consults and Fiscal Limited, when you represented yourself to be an employee of Etisalat Nigeria Limited, now known as 9mobile and that you will facilitate and secure for him a contract to supply diesel to all Etisalat, a representation which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(C) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offence Act and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act”.
He pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him. The prosecution led by Rotimi E.Ajobiewe presented 11 witnesses and tendered over 80 exhibits to prove its case.
Delivering judgment today, Justice Aluko convicted Anaga on 34 counts of the charge and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment for conspiracy and 12 years for counts relating to obtaining money by false pretence, to run concurrently.
He also ordered that the convict restitute the sum of N37, 850 to Nwachukwu.
In a related development, on Wednesday, August 24, 2022, the convict was sentenced to eight years in prison for another fraud charge involving the theft of N973,000 and ordered to return the sum of N555,000 to his victim, Michael Okolo.
