By AGATHA N UJU, Correspondent, Abuja
The Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has arraigned one Chidiebere Christian Okeke, a Bureau De Change operator before Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the Federal High Court sitting in Awka, Anambra State.
Okeke, alongside his two companies; Paderlambs Investment Limited and Ishiugbo Nigeria Limited were arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on forgery and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N446, 579, 629. 00 (Four Hundred and Forty-six Million, Five Hundred and Seventy-nine Thousand, Six Hundred and Twenty-nine Naira).
According to the EFCC’s statement, he pleaded “not guilty” to the charges preferred against him and in view of his plea, counsel to the EFCC, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, Michael Ikechukwu Ani prayed the court for a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded at the facility of the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS in Awka.
“The matter was thereafter adjourned to November 19, 2026 for hearing of bail application while the defendant was remanded at the NCoS,” the statement by the Commission’s head, media and publicity, Dele Oyewale stated.
The defendant was handed over to the Commission on October 30, 2024 by the Department of State Services with a petition by one Izuchukwu Okeke who claimed that between September 2023 and November the same year, he gave the said sum to one Nwadili David Chukwuka, another BDC operator to remit the Renminbi, RMB equivalent to his business partner in China.
According to the petitioner, Chukwuka informed him that the money was given to the defendant to transmit the same to his partner. When confronted, the defendant admitted receiving the money but instead of transmitting the same, he decided to refund the money by issuing a dud cheque.
