March 18, 2019, sentenced one Myke Arisa Onyeike, to 28 days in prison in
a case of fake and forged documents which he intended to use to secure the
bail of one Ndidi Kalu, who is in the custody of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for fraud charges.
Onyeike was arraigned on a one-count charge bordering on cheating and
obtaining by tricks.
The charge reads: “That you, Myke Arisa Onyike, (alias Alexander Ebia
Okoro) between the 11th – 13th of February 2019, in Enugu, Enugu State
within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud,
obtained by tricks the sum of N40,000 (Forty Thousand Naira), from Ndidi
Kalu, when you represented to her that you are Alexander Ebia Okoro a
staff of Abia State Government, Ministry of Agriculture and capable of
standing as a surety to secure her bail at the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission’s office in Enugu which pretence you knew to be false
and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable by Section 388
of the criminal Code, Revised Edition (Laws of Enugu state of Nigeria,
Law, 2004).”
He did not waste the time of the court, as he pleaded “guilty” to the count.
The prosecuting counsel, Anasoh Henry, thereafter, prayed the court to
allow his witness present the facts of the case.
His witness, a staff of the EFCC, attached to the Capital Market and
Insurance Fraud Section told the court how the defendant in a bid to
secure bail for a suspect in EFCC custody tendered a bail application, a
letter of appointment from the Ministry of Agriculture, Abia State, a
letter of promotion to the rank of an Assistant Director from the same
ministry, and Identity card all bearing the name “Alexander Ebia Okoro”.
The witness explained that when he led his team members to run a BVN check
on Onyike’s phone number using the BVN portal, it was discovered that it
had his picture, but with the name “Mike Arisa Onyike”.
According to the witness, when the defendant was confronted with the
facts, he admitted that the documents were fake.
Further investigations revealed that the lady who he came to secure bail
for had paid the sum of N50, 000 (Fifty Thousand Naira), only and he had
shared the money with his friend, one Sunday Ikoro Kalu, who will also be
arraigned on March 20, 2019.
The witness explained that when the investigating team further wrote a
letter to the Ministry of Agriculture, Umuahia, Abia State for
confirmation, the reply the Commission got from one Christopher Okpara,
was that the said “Alexander Ebia Okoro”, has never been a staff of the
Ministry.
The defence counsel, A.O. Okpara, pleaded with the court to temper justice
with mercy, stating that “the accused is over 60 years old, and a family
man as well as a first time offender, following the records before this
court”.
He told the court that the defendant had paid back the money that he
received from Ndidi Kalu and has been in EFCC custody since February13,
2019, adding that he has shown remorse and has sworn never to go back to
the crime again.
“He cooperated well with the operatives of the EFCC”, the counsel pleaded.
In his judgement, Justice Nwobodo sentenced him to 28 days in prison with
hard labour, starting from the date he was arrested by the EFCC.