The Port Harcourt’s Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned one Robert Terfa Swem, posing as the commission boss, Ibrahim Magu, and using the name of the EFCC boss to harass and blackmail senior officials of the Niger Delta Development Commission(NDDC), with the intent to defraud them on the claim the he will remove their names from the list of individuals being investigated by the EFCC.
Terfa Swem was, on Wednesday, 27th of November 2019, arraigned before the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, presided over by Justice M. L Abubakar on a three-count charges bordering on obtaining by false pretences contrary to Section 8(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
One of the charges reads: “That you Robert Terfa Swem on or about 24th October, 2019 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, did attempt to obtain money by false pretence from Mr Anselm Agommuoh, by falsely pretending that his name has been shortlisted for investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and that you work closely with and an ally of the Acting Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and as such, you have the capacity to remove his name from the list, which pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
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The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him.
In view of his plea, prosecuting counsel, Samuel Chime, prayed the court to fix a date for trial and remand the defendant in Nigerian Correctional Service custody.
However, the counsel to the defendant, Thaddaeus Dzege, informed the court of an application for the bail of his client; which was not opposed by the prosecuting counsel.
Justice Abubakar granted the defendant bail in the sum of N1 million only and one surety in like sum. The surety must be a grade level 15 officer and above. He also ordered the defendant to be remanded in a Nigerian Correctional Service custody pending the fulfilment of his bail conditions while the case was adjourned till 13th of January, 2020 for the commencement of trial.
According to the commission, “Terfa got into trouble when he was arrested in Juanita Hotel, Port Harcourt, Rivers State where he was holding a meeting with some Directors of the NDDC over a phoney offer, to remove their names from the list of individuals being investigated by the EFCC.
“He allegedly contacted the Directors claiming to be representing the EFCC Chairman.
“He reminded them of the forensic audit of the accounts of the NDDC ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari and assured them that their names would be removed from the audit.
“Investigations revealed that the defendant is a political hustler, roaming around ministries and government offices searching for information that can enable him to swindle relevant personalities.”
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