Court remands NEDC’s Project Coordinator, one other over alleged N5b fraud

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has ordered the remand of the Project Coordinator of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), Alhaji Danjuma Mohammed and Prince Chibuike Echem in Suleja prison in Niger State over alleged involvement in a N5billion contract fraud.

Justice Keziah Ogbonna issued the order shortly after they where arraigned on a 55-count charge bordering on advance fee fraud, forgery and award of fake contracts.

In the charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), it was alleged among others, that Mohammed, Echem and another person, Aminu Alhaji (said to be at large) defrauded the Managing Director of Diamond Leeds Ltd, Kenneth Ejiofor Ifekudu of N2.2billion between May 2022 and February 2024, under the pretence of awarding him contracts from the NEDC.

They were also said to have, between January and December 2023, obtained another N649.5million from Ifekudu, using the bank account of Prince Echem under the claim that they have capacity to award to his company contracts from the Multi-sectoral Crisis Projects (MCRP), of the Northeast Development Commission

They were equally accused of collecting another N573million from the same contractor through a Wema Bank account belonging to Echem on the same ground

The EFCC also accused them of obtaining under false pretenses a sum of $480,000 and $200,000 between January to December 2022, under the guise of awarding him contracts.

Both defendants were further accused of issuing fake contract papers to Ifekudu in the name of NEDC and made him to part with various sums before they were arrested by operatives of the EFCC