COE Warri Cooperatives Exco Members Arraigned for Alleged N32M Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Benin Zonal Office on Tuesday February 2, arraigned the quartet of Afure Anomioghene Joe, Monica Ossai, Akpiten Natty Onyisi and Okeleza Isaac before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court sitting in Warri, Delta State.

The defendants who are executives of College of Education Warri Non Academic Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society were arraigned on a 16 count charge for allegedly converting N32 million belonging to the society to their personal use, according to a statement by the EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, on Tuesday.

One of the charges against them read: “That you Afure Anomioghene Joe being the President of College of Education Warri Non-Academic Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Monica Ossai being Treasurer, College of Education Warri Non-Academic Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Okeleza Isaac being Financial Secretary, College of Education Warri Non-Academic Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society on or about 1st June 2012, in Warri within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did transfer the sum of N2,000,000.00 (two million naira ) only from the Union Bank Account of College of Education Warri Non-Academic Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Warri into an account domicile at First Bank Plc operated by Mukoro Samuel which such fund you knew forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: fraud, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition)Act, 2011 (as amended by the Money Laundering (Prohibition)Amendment Act 2012) and punishable under Section 15(3)of the same Act”.

All the defendants pleaded “not guilty” when the charges were read to them.

In view of their plea, the prosecution counsel, Ibrahim Mohammed prayed the court to fix a date for trial and to remand the defendants in custody.

Justice Nwite adjourned the case to April 28, 2021 for trial and ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Correctional Centre, Sapele, Delta State.