Photo: EFCC arraigns former EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde's impersonator

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned one Promise Tochi Nwalozie a. k. a Ibrahim Lamorde and Ohaji Ujunwa Raymond, before Justice H. I. O Oshomah of the Federal High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on a 9-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false presence to the tune of $1,330.00 (USD).

Promise Tochi Nwalozie, a suspected impersonator posing as the former Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, was arrested at Rumuagholu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State on 6 August, 2016, by operatives of the EFCC, in a sting operation that yielded the arrest of six other internet fraudsters. Nwalozie was using the identity of Lamorde to send scam mails to foreigners, mostly Europeans and Americans and in the process, extorted sizeable amount of foreign currencies from them. His weapon of fraudulent interaction with his victims was a fake electronic copy of the identity card of the former EFCC's boss. He equally assumed another name, Gabriel Giese, to ply his nefarious activities. This is in addition to posing as Barrister Peter Jackson, a spurious lawyer working with the National Judicial Council, NJC in Nigeria. As a "lawyer", he was defrauding his victims by assuring them that he would help in the recovery of money lost to different Nigerian cyber fraudsters. To do this, Jackson was collecting various sums of money as service charges from his victims. Some of his victims are: Betty. G. E, an American and Georgina M, an Australian. Raymond was one of his partners in crime. Six other suspected fraudsters arrested with Nwalozie have been charged separately.

Count one of the charge read: ‘’that you Promise Tochi Nwalozie (a. k. a) Barrister Peter Jackson, Gebriel Giese, Ibrahim Lamorde and Ohaji Ujunwa Raymond sometimes in July, 2016, at Port Harcourt, Rivers State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit: Obtaining Money by False Pretence and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8 (a) and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.

Another count read: ‘’that you Promise Tochi Nwalozie (a. k. a) Barrister Peter Jackson, Gebriel Giese, Ibrahim Lamorde, on or about the 6th August, 2016, at Port Harcourt, Rivers State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the sum of $500.00 (USD) from one Georgina Master, an Australian under the pretence that the said sum formed part payment for the repatriation of her funds which she lost to fraudsters in Nigeria, which pretext you knew to be false, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the said Act.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to them.

In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, Mustapha Tanko Iko asked the court to fix a date for the commencement of trial and that the defendants be remanded in prison custody. However, counsel to the two defendants, P. O. K. Osuji, told the court that he had filed bail applications for his clients and served same on the prosecution. He urged the court to grant his prayers. Iko acknowledged the applications and did not oppose them.
Justice Oshomah adjourned the case to 6 July, 2017 for bail hearing and ordered that the defendants be remanded in prison custody pending the determination of their bail.