Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja remanded Ezeagu Jennifer and Goodnews Imah at the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) over an alleged fake supplement deal fraud amounting to N56 million.
Jennifer and Imah were arraigned before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count conspiracy charge of stealing, stealing, obtaining by false pretences, and forgery.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The EFCC counsel, Sulieman Sulieman, urged the court to remand the defendants pending their trial date; he informed the judge of his intention to call 12 witnesses to prove his case.
He also urged the court to remand the defendants in custody.
The defence lawyer, Franker Umeri, submitted a bail application, stating that his client would be available for her trial.
Similarly, the second defendant’s counsel, Austin Enwerem, requested bail for his client, submitting that he would also be present for his trial.
Justice Oshodi adjourned the case to February 12 and 14, 2025, for trial, stating that the date for a ruling on the bail applications would be communicated to the defence counsels. He then remanded Ezeagu Jennifer at the female correctional centre and Goodnews Imah at the male correctional centre, pending trial dates.
One of the charges states: “Ezeagu Jennifer Kelechi, Goodnews Onyii Amah, and Nigel Odinaka Vitalis (who is at large), between May 11, 2024, and June 13, 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired to commit a felony, specifically obtaining by false pretences the sum of N56,350,000.00 (Fifty-Six Million, Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira), the property of Patience Abel, under the false pretence of investment in a supplement business and supply from a hospital in Uganda, a representation they knew to be false.”
