EFCC re-arraigns professor, firms for defrauding farmers N1.4bn

The Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-arraigned Professor Uche Chigozie Edwin before the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, for allegedly defrauding maize farmers to the tune of N1,473,367,046.04.

Edwin was on Thursday, February 15, 2024, re-arraigned alongside his companies, Visionary Integrated Consulting Limited, NEMAD Associates Limited, and Revamp Global Enterprise on 11-count charges bordering on conspiracy, retention, and conversion of funds to the tune of N1.4 billion.

The professor was first arraigned on March 16, 2023, before Justice Nicholas Oweibo and had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Justice Oweibo was later transferred out of the Lagos Division, necessitating the re-assignment of the case file to a new trial judge.

One of the counts reads “That you, Professor Uche Chigozie Edwin, Visionary Integrated Consulting Limited, Nemad Associates Limited and Revamp Global Enterprise, sometime in 2021, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Court conspired amongst yourselves to use the sum of N1,473,367,046.04, property of the Maize Growers, Processors, and Marketers Association of Nigeria (MAGPAMAN), which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activity to wit: fraud and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.”

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In view of his plea, the defence counsel, Emefo Etudo, urged the court to allow the defendant to continue on the earlier bail granted by Justice Oweibo on August 7, 2023.

However, the EFCC counsel, C.C. Okezie, urged the court to only allow the defendant to continue on the previous bail if his counsel would undertake to ensure his attendance in court.

“The defendant had been absent on certain occasions, which had caused some issues,” she said.

In his response, Etudo told the court that when the professor was first granted bail, his sureties included his biological father as well as a legal practitioner.

He added that he was willing to add to the number, and thus undertook to ensure attendance of the defendant in court.

The presiding judge, Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, thereafter, adjourned the case till March 13, 2024, for trial and ordered the defendant to continue to enjoy the bail earlier granted him by Justice Oweibo.

The Star