EFCC Arraigns Two for Visa Scam

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, October 14, 2015 arraigned the duo of Nosa Ohenhen Ericson and Abraham Adasah before Justice Peter Kekemeke of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Apo, Abuja, on a 6-count charge of forgery and conspiracy.

Ericson and Adasah allegedly presented a false Diamond bank statement to the British High Commission alongside a forged letter from one “Honourable Ohenhen Nosakhare”, purported to be the Chairman of Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission with the intent of causing the British High Commission to issue a UK visa to Nosa Ohenhen Ericson.

One of the charges reads:

“That you, Nosa Ohenhen Ericson and Abraham Adasah sometime in April 2014 in Abuja, in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory did fraudulently use as genuine a forged Diamond bank statement of account bearing account name Nosa Ohenhen and account number 0025683395 by presenting it to the British High Commission, knowing it to be forged and thereby committed an offense punishable under Section 366 of the Penal Code Act Cap.532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990”.

The accused pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to them.

Counsel to the EFCC, E.V Dalyop, urged the court to fix a date for hearing and remand the accused persons in prison custody.

However, counsel to the first accused, J. E Yahaya, through an oral application pleaded with the court to admit his client, to bail.

Yahaya argued that, the charge preferred against the first accused is not a capital offence and that Section 36 Sub-Section 5 of the 1999 Constitution guaranteed his bail.

Arguing in the same vein, counsel to the second accused, Olusegun Toki also cited Section 6, 35 and 36 of the Constitution and section 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act to demand the bail of his client.

Toki urged the court to grant him bail on liberal terms adding that, he had always honoured the invitation of the EFCC.

Justice Kekemeke admitted the accused persons to bail in the sum of N10, 000, 000.00 (ten million naira) each and two sureties each in like sum.

The sureties must be civil servants or individuals with landed property in Abuja.

The case has been adjourned to October 29, 2015 for hearing.