EFCC arraigns two women over N6m land fraud

Blessing Nchelem and her daughter-in-law, Deborah Jack, have been charged with repeated fraud by the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The charges were brought before Justice P. I. Ajoku of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. This was announced by the Commission on its X account on Tuesday. 

The offenders were charged with four counts, including criminal conspiracy, receiving money under false pretences, and keeping N6 million in proceeds from illegal activities.

Count two of the charge read, “That you, Deborah Jack, Blessing Webilor Nchelem, Chimenem Peter Webilor (now at large) between 15th November 2022 to 21st March 2023 at Port Harcourt within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud did obtain in a single transaction, the sum of Six Million Naira (N6,000,000,00) only from Senibo Richmond Opusunju as consideration for the sale of three plots of land, located at Rumuapu, Rukpokwo Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, a pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1)(a) and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act.”

When the charges were read to the pair, they also entered a plea of "not guilty." Prosecution attorney E. K. Esien-Otu then asked the court to set a date for the trial to begin and to remand the defendants in the care of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS), while defence attorney S. O. Aburu asked the court orally to grant the defendants bail so they could get ready for their trial. 

Judge Ajoku ordered the defendants to be held in the custody of the EFCC after rejecting the oral bail application and requesting that the defence attorney submit a formal bail application.

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