Justice P. I. Ajoku of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 remanded a Director of a Nigerian Gas Company, Charles Rudolf Epelle in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, pending the determination of his bail application. The defendant was arraigned on a six count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence and issuance of dud cheques by the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the EFCC. The alleged offence is contrary to section 1(1) (a) & (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
Epelle and Enene Esther Irabor (at large), on or about the 2nd of August, 2021 at Port Harcourt, did obtain the sum of Twenty-two Million, Eighty Thousand Naira (N22,080,000) from one Jeremiah Jumbo by false pretence under the guise of rendering catering services to International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Abuja, which pretext they knew to be false.