Crime
Alleged Money Laundering: Witness Reveals N35bn Was In Mompha’s Accounts
The sixth prosecution witness, PW6, Idi Musa, in the trial of Ismaila Mustapha, (a.k.a Mompha) an investigator with the EFCC, on Monday, July 1, 2024, told Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos how the sum of N35bn was found in two bank accounts linked to the defendant.
The Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had, on January 12, 2022, arraigned Mompha alongside his company, Ismalob Global Investment Limited, on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy to launder funds obtained through unlawful activity, retention of proceeds of criminal conduct, laundering of funds obtained through unlawful activity, failure to disclose assets and property, possession of documents containing false pretences and use of property derived from unlawful act.
One of the counts reads, “Ismaila Mustapha, Ahmadu Mohammed (at large) and Ismalob Global Investment Limited, sometime in 2016, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired amongst yourselves to conduct financial transactions to the tune of N5,998,884,653.18 ( Five Billion Nine Hundred and Ninety-eight Million, Eight Hundred and Eighty-four Thousand, Six Hundred and Fifty-three Naira Eighteen Kobo), with the intent of promoting the carrying on of specified unlawful activities to wit: obtaining by false pretence.”
He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges when they were read to him.
On September 22, 2022, Justice Dada had ordered that the trial of Mompha would continue in absentia after he jumped bail.
At Monday’s proceedings, Musa, while being led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, S. I. Suleiman, narrated how he knew the first and second defendants in the course of investigations into the alleged criminal activities.
He told the court how the Commission had received intelligence from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), informing it that the first and second defendants were into cybercrime in the United States of America, USA.
He said, “Sometime in 2019, we received intelligence from the FBI, USA. The letter was addressed to the Commission, informing us that the first and second defendants were involved in cybercrime, otherwise known as Yahoo Yahoo.”
According to him, in the course of the investigation, some letters were written to two major banks requesting the account statements of the second defendant linked to the first defendant.
In his further testimony, he told the court that “The account statements were received and analysed.
“During the analysis, we discovered a heavy flow of N30bn through the account of the first defendant (Mompha) in one of the banks and about N5bn in another bank account.
“Letters were written to the FBI, and the Special Fraud Unit of the Commission, regarding the defendant’s claim that he was into Bureau De change business, in view of the volume of these transactions.
“A letter was also written to the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and other relevant agencies”.
He also told the court that the investigation revealed that the first defendant did not reside in Nigeria and that efforts to reach him proved abortive.
The PW 6 said, “A letter was written to the Nigeria Immigration Services, NIS, on October 16, 2019, to arrest the defendant anytime he was seen in the country.
“On October 18, 2019, the first defendant got information that the Commission was looking for him, while he was in Nigeria. So, he quickly got to the airport and boarded a flight in order to jet out of the country to evade arrest.
“The team got the information through the NIS officers at the airport. By then, Mompha had already boarded the flight. So, they had to call him to come down and he was immediately arrested. He was subsequently handed over to the EFCC by the immigration officers”.
When asked about the findings regarding the defendant’s bank account, Musa said over N30bn was discovered, adding that “ he told us that he was into Bureau De Change business. But investigation showed that he was not.
“We have already concluded investigations in that regard. The offences border on money laundering, operating BDC without a licence before a Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.”
He also told the court that a report from the FBI’s forensic analysis revealed that Mompha’s iPhone was used to send account details to a United Arab Emirates telephone number, which he used to search for Swift Codes of a bank.
“Upon his arrest, all the properties recovered from him were registered with the Exhibits Section in the EFCC office.
“Most of the properties were released to him on bond, except his iPhone 8 which is still with the Commission.
“The items are proceeds of crime because when he was given the Assets Declaration Form, he did not include those items,” he added.
The prosecution then tendered both the first defendant’s statement as well as the Asset Declaration Form.
They were admitted in evidence as exhibits P5 and P6 by the court.
Consequently, Justice Dada adjourned the case till Tuesday, October 8, 2024, for the continuation of trial.
A police officer is reportedly dead and another injured following an attack by unknown gunmen on a police checkpoint in the Ohafia area of Abia State.
The incident, which occurred on Wednesday at Ugwu Abba Asaga, has sparked concerns over the rising wave of insecurity in the region.
The Abia State Police Command has yet to release an official statement regarding the attack. However, when contacted, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Maureen Chinaka, assured reporters that she would provide updates, but no further details had been shared as of the time of this report.
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This incident is the latest in a series of violent attacks in Abia State. On Monday, the Abia State government accused unnamed politicians and external parties of fueling kidnappings and violence targeting security personnel and civilians since May 2024. In a statement signed by Ferdinand Ekeoma, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, the government vowed to hold the perpetrators accountable.
“The promoters of violence and insecurity in the state will pay a heavy price,” the statement read.
However, John Okiyi Kalu, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Commissioner for Trade and Investment, criticized the government’s position. He argued that insecurity in the state should not be politicized but rather addressed through actionable measures.
The attack has heightened tensions in the state, with citizens calling for swift action to restore peace and ensure the safety of residents and security personnel alike.
A yet-to-be-identified labourer was reportedly shot dead on Wednesday, while three others sustained critical injuries, during an altercation involving the Crack Squad of the Ebonyi State Police Command at Ugwuechara Junction in Abakaliki.
Witnesses say the incident began when members of the Crack Squad stopped a motorcycle rider, accusing him of fraud and attempting to seize his motorcycle.
The rider reportedly identified himself as a member of the military but was allegedly assaulted by the operatives.
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An eyewitness recounted, “As the policemen removed his cap and started hitting him with their guns, the bike man tried to resist them, possibly to snatch one of their guns.
“One of the team opened fire, which killed one of the labour seekers, who usually gather at the junction to look for daily jobs. Three persons were wounded and were rushed to the hospital.”
The deceased, a labourer waiting for work at the junction, was struck by the gunfire. Among the injured are a young apprentice at a barbershop and a female passer-by.
Witnesses say the police operatives took the body of the deceased and the motorcycle rider to their station after the incident.
Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer in Ebonyi, Joshua Ukandu, were unsuccessful as he did not respond to calls or messages.
However, Obinna Mbam, the Special Assistant on Internal Security to Governor Francis Nwifuru, confirmed the incident.
“Normalcy has returned to the area,” Mr. Mbam said. “The state government will ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.”
The incident has sparked outrage among residents of Ebonyi State, who have raised concerns about the increasing cases of police brutality, extortion, and indiscriminate arrests.
Many residents also expressed dissatisfaction with the Crack Squad, which was established as part of police reforms following the disbandment of the controversial Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in 2020.
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has filed criminal charges against former Nigerian senator Andy Uba and two others, accusing them of defrauding a complainant, George Uboh, of N400 million.
The charges, which include two counts, were brought before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Uba, who represented Anambra South in the Senate from 2011 to 2019, along with Crystal Uba and Benjamin Etu, is alleged to have conspired with Hajiya Fatima, who remains at large, to defraud Uboh in 2022.
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According to the charges, the accused individuals falsely claimed they could secure the appointment of the managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for anyone who could pay N400 million.
“The accused persons collected the N400 million from Mr. Uboh and converted it into their personal use,” the police said, describing the actions as a violation of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offenses Act of 2006.
The police also revealed that six witnesses would testify against the accused parties.
The case was officially filed on 10 October 2023 by Abdulrashid Sidi from the Police Legal/Prosecution Section.
During a hearing on 13 November, the prosecution informed the court that the defendants had been evading the service of court documents despite being granted administrative bail.
“The defendants obtained a fundamental rights enforcement order, which had prevented the police from bringing them to court,” said M.L. Anthony, a lawyer for the prosecution.
“It was only after the order was lifted that the defendants were finally charged before the judge.”
The trial, presided over by Justice Inyang Ekwo, was adjourned until 18 February 2025.
This delay allows time for the defendants to appear in court and take their plea, following the prosecution’s efforts to ensure they are properly served with legal documents.
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