For allegedly defrauding the Comptroller General of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko, of about £25, 000, to cover up alleged certificate forgery, Godswill Ombo, with one Tony Oyatedo, was yesterday, arraigned before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja.
A Police First Information Report FIR, in a four-count criminal charge against the accused, said the alleged crime was committed between September and October 2009, when Mr. Ogbo, a retired rear admiral, allegedly conspired with another person (now at large) of dishonestly collecting ₦2 million from the Customs' boss, for the purpose of inducing a London based magazine not to report the alleged certificate scandal involving Mr. Dikko.
Not guilty
Mr. Ombo, who is specifically alleged to have pocketed £10,000, the equivalent of ₦2m, out of the total amount, pleaded not guilty to the four-count charge. A bench warrant was, however, issued against his accomplice, who was said to be have gone into hiding.
The trial Judge, Husseini Baba Yusuf, issued the warrant sequel to an oral application by the prosecuting counsel, Simon Lough, who told the court yesterday that the second accused vanished since October 8 last year, when he was released on police bail.
The duo were said to have tricked the Comptroller General of Customs into paying them the £25, 000, on the false pretence that it would be used to pay-off a London based magazine, ‘The Investigator', which they said was set to publish a negative story about him.
They were further alleged in the charge sheet, to have threatened to circulate 10,000 copies of the said magazine in Lagos and Abuja, should the Customs boss refuse to concede to their demand.
Their action, according to the police, is punishable under section 38 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, as well as Section 79 of the Penal code of 1990.
Justice Yusuf, who granted the first accused bail on liberal terms yesterday, adjourned the matter till April 29, to enable the police to apprehend the second accused person for arraignment.
Arab News
