The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has nabbed and arraigned alleged serial fraudsters and popular Abuja socialite, Prince Chibuike Echem, and the National Coordinator of the Multi-Sectoral Crisis Recovery Project (MCRP) at the North East Development Commission, Danjuma Mohammed, over alleged multi-billion naira contract fraud.
They are alleged to have swindled an indigenous construction and equipment supply firm, Diamond Leeds Limited, of multiple billions of naira, while posing as contract facilitators linked to major government agencies.
On Tuesday in Abuja, the two defendants were brought before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Zuba to answer a 55-count charge bordering on advance fee fraud and forgery, to which they pleaded not guilty on all counts.
Trouble started in 2023 when Echem allegedly took advantage of his closeness to the Chairman of Diamond Leeds Ltd, Kenneth Ifekudu, and introduced him to Danjuma, who posed as a power broker in the North.
Diamond Leeds was said to have had business transactions with Echem, who served as a consultant but allegedly abused his closeness to the chairman of the firm and duped him of billions of naira, with Danjuma Mohammed as his lead accomplice.
It was gathered that although Diamond Leeds was reportedly issued contract award letters, the company was never allowed to mobilise engineers or equipment to project sites anywhere in the North East, as Danjuma Mohammed usually cited insecurity in the region.
Both defendants were arraigned in Charge No: CR/708/25. Charge One reads: “That you, Alhaji Danjuma Mohammed, being the National Coordinator of the Multi-Sectoral Crisis Recovery Project (MCRP), North East Development Commission, Prince Chibuike Echem, and Aminu Alhaji (still at large), between May 2022 and February 2024 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, conspired amongst yourselves to do an illegal act, to wit: obtaining by false pretences the cumulative sum of N2,280,000,000.00 (Two Billion, Two Hundred and Eighty Million Naira) from one Kenneth Ejiofor Ifekudu, the Managing Director of Diamond Leeds Limited, and Diamond Leeds Limited, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
After taking their plea, prosecution counsel from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Olarenwaju Adeola, asked that the defendants be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the determination of the suit.
In her ruling, Justice Keziah Ogbonnaya remanded the defendants at the Suleja Correctional Centre and adjourned the matter to March 25 and April 7 for hearing of the bail application by defence counsel.
She said her reason for choosing the Suleja Correctional Centre was its proximity to the court.
Speaking with journalists after the adjournment, lead counsel for the nominal complainant, Beth Igwilo (SAN), disclosed that seven witnesses would be called in the case, even as he sought objective reporting from journalists.
Prior to the arraignment, internal investigations by Diamond Leeds allegedly revealed that all contract documents presented for execution were forged.
The company also expressed disappointment that, despite its chairman’s personal gestures of goodwill towards Chibuike Echem, he allegedly conspired with the suspected fraud syndicate to defraud him of multiple billions of naira.
Following repeated demands by Diamond Leeds for payment for supplied equipment, the syndicate allegedly opened a Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) account bearing the acronym NEDC, from which part of the defrauded funds was returned to the company but packaged as payment for equipment supplied.
EFCC investigators have since stepped into the matter, unravelling other fraudulent activities allegedly linked to Danjuma Mohammed, which eventually led to his sack from the NEDC.
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