N800m Fraud: Rivers Police Arraign Suspected Estate Manager

The Rivers State Police Command has arraigned a suspected estate manager, the Managing Director of Livelihood Homes, popularly called, The Villa, Mr Kelly Nwogu, before a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt  over his involvement in advance fee fraud Of over N800 million naira.
Mr Nwogu is standing trial on 494 count charges involving one Nwankwo Orieagu and 493 others on charge Sheet No FHC/PH/399c/2019
However, the matter could not proceed at the Federal High Court on Monday due to absence of the trial judge and the accused was taken back to police custody
The State Commissioner of Police (CP), Rivers State, Mustapha Dandaura, who spoke through the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Administration, Chuks Enwonwu in Port Harcourt during an earlier press briefing to journalists in Port Harcourt before his arraignment in court on Monday alleged that Nwogu was re-arrested after he jumped bail on the fraud matter.
According to the CP,  Nwogu’s re-arrest was due to his inability to  advance back any reasonable  refund to his clients or unsuspected land buyers a whopping sum of N800 million.
“Recall that the suspect, Kelly Nwogu, was arrested in October this year where he was admitted to police bail but jumped bail, leading to the revocation of his bail. He was consequently re-arrested for further investigation. At the end of which he could not advance any reasonable probability to refund his client, whom he had defrauded to the tune of eight hundred million Naira (N800m),” the CP said.
“The suspect has been slated to appear in court on 494-count charges, as contained in charge number FHC/PH/399c/2019. This is sequel to completion of investigation by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), according to Dandaura.
“His arraignment is in compliance with statutory requirement and the need to set his trial in motion, having established a prima facie case against him,” he stated
Meanwhile the suspect has denied any wrong doing in the entire transaction. Fielding questions from journalists at the Police Headquarters, Port Harcourt, Nwogu said he has no money to refund to anybody. According to him, all his clients that have paid up their bills have been allocated lands.
The suspect further said that he was only indebted to some customers to the extent that they would complete their instalmental payments before land is allocated to them and accused the police of incessant harassment and extortion of his staff.

By: Akujobi Amadi & Ngozi Dennar