By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
Mr. Chukwuemeka Ekwunife, a former credit relationship manager with Sterling bank has told an Ikeja Special Offences Court presided over by Justice Sherifat Solebo that one Mrs Ngozi Ekeoma used him while with Sterling Bank to defraud the Federal Government a total sum of N168.5 million as oil subsidy.
Ekwunife (defendant) who is standing trial on eight counts charge before an Ikeja Special Offences Court made the disclosure while being led in defence by his counsel Mr Eubena Amedie.
At the resumed hearing of the case, the defendant who was testifying before the court as a defence witness, said that one Mrs Ngozi Ekeoma who owns Nepal Oil and Gas Limited used him to facilitate false documentations in Liberia in order to obtain money from the Federal Government through subsidy scheme.
The defendant said that he helped Mrs Ekeoma register several companies in Liberia to enable her carry out various importation of petroleum products, particularly Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) under the petroleum scheme fund (subsidy regime) with the Federal Government.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had docked the former credit relationship manager of Sterling Bank, Mr Chukwuemeka Ekwunife and Structured Energy Limited for allegedly stealing a total sum of N168.5million from various companies.
It averred that Ekwunife, at different times in 2014, allegedly stole the said sum of money from, M.R.S oil and Gas, Exit Energy Limited, Globin Oil and Gas Limited, Bond Energy, Greenage Energy Limited – all subsidiaries of Nepal Oil and Gas Limited.
The anti graft agency alleged that the defendant stole the money in tranches of N19million, N9million, N85million, N25million and N6.5million sometime in August, October and November, 2014 from the complainant, Nepal Oil and Gas Limited.
While still testifying, the former banker told the court that he resigned from Sterling bank in 2014 after Mrs Ekeoma pleaded with him to join her business and help her provide credit facilities for her companies.
Ekwunife said: “I met the Managing Director of Nepal Oil and Gas limited, Ngozi Ekeoma in 2010 while I was working with Sterling Bank as a Credit Relationship Manager.
“Mrs Ekeoma was a customer of the bank and so she came to me to help her provide credit facilities to various companies that she introduced to the bank.
“She introduced companies as Nepal Oil and Gas Limited, Dell Energy Limited, Carnival Energy Oil and Gas Limited. So I provided credit facilities for these companies that enabled her carry out various importations of PMS through subsidy scheme with the FG.
“This relationship lasted for four years. And in 2014, I voluntarily resigned from Sterling Bank after she pleaded earnestly with me to join her business.
“So I left my job in the bank to work for her in a contractor/staff arrangement. I helped her set up various companies like Structured Energy Resources Limited, Dexter Oil Limited, Ritrak Supply and Trading Limited, Gulf Trading and Shipping Limited – all registered in Liberia. These companies were used at various times to carry out trading and documentations related to subsidy by the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We produced supporting documents like Bill of Laden, the re-certification of products, the certificate of quality and certificate of Origin.
“These documentations were done outside the shores of Nigeria and used for trades that never happened in Nigeria.
“The documentations were done in Liberia for trades that were not live (feasible).
“For instance, Mrs Ekeoma, in her stock of trade, would arrange documentations to convert dual purpose kerosene to aviation fuel. What I mean is that where dual purpose kerosene was supposed to be sold to households, Mrs Ekeoma would instruct us (Myself, Ugochukwu Onwuegbunam, Alexander Uwaezuoke to facilitate and get documentations that the products are jet fuel.
“We would facilitate the documentation and sell the product as Jet fuel, instead of kerosene, to aviation airlines. We used these documentations to carry out fraudulent activities by using documents formulated outside the country to perform trade in Nigeria that were not suppose to happen.”
At this point, Justice Solebo adjourned the case till July 5, 2019 for continuation of trial.
