One of the charges read: “That you Great Johnson Philip, Adegoke Alaba Bright and Joman Kingsley Tamarkro sometime in 2020, at Port Harcourt, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N88.855 million from Robag Marine and Offshore Logistics Limited on the representation that you will transfer a Dollar equivalent of US$201,000 to wit: a pretense which to your knowledge was false and thereby committed an Offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offence Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act”
They pleaded “not guilty” to all the charges when they were read to them.
In view of their pleas , prosecution counsel, S.M.H. Ibekute prayed the court to remand the defendants in Port Harcourt Correctional Centre pending the commencement of trial. However, defence counsel, Dabiebo Livingstone urged the court to grant the defendants bail. His prayer was opposed by Ibekute who argued that the defendants abused an administrative bail earlier offered them by the EFCC.
Justice Ayua adjourned the matter till September 20, 2021 and ordered the remand of the defendants in the EFCC custody pending the determination of their bail applications.
The defendants’ trouble began when a petitioner alleged that, sometimes in September 2020, he instructed his account officer in one of the new generation banks, to source for US dollar equivalent of the sum of NN88.855 million in any reputable Bureau De Change firm.