U.S.-trained surgeon convicted for N35m fraud, sentenced to 27 years imprisonment

A US trained surgeon, John Adindu Nweke, have been sentenced to 27 years imprisonment for N35 million fraud.

Justice Abdulazeez Anka of a Federal High Court, Lagos, convicted Nweke on Monday over five-count fraud charge.

Nweke, who impersonated one Senator Haruna Baba Musa, from Sokoto State, was convicted and sentenced after he was found guilty of charges bordering on conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence.

The convict was arraigned on October 8, 2016, alongside one Anike Igwe Stephen (now deceased) and a cart pusher, Kelechi Chetachi Emenike, on a five count-charge of conspiracy, money laundering, false representation and obtaining of high class phones valued at N35 million from an online sale outlet, Konga.

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Among the phones fraudulently received from the online outlet by Nweke and his cohorts are nine Samsung phones; two blackberry phones; five iPhones; three Sunny Xperia phones and two cameras.

The defendants were also said to have issued dud cheques which were returned due to insufficient funds.

In the course of trial, police prosecutor, CSP Emmanuel Jackson, called several witnesses among whom are the Investigation Police Officer (IPO), officials of Konga, Zenith Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Fidelity Bank Plc. He also tendered several documents to prove his case against the defendants.

However, midway to the trial of the three men, one of them, Stephen Aneke Igwe, passed away and the police consequently amended the charge.

Delivering judgement on Monday, Justice Anka absolved the cart pusher of complicity in the alleged crime.

He, however, pronounced Nweke guilty of charges of conspiracy and obtaining the phones by false pretence.

Prior to the sentencing of the convict, he pleaded for mercy, saying he went into crime because he became frustrated when he could not get a job in Nigeria after his training in America as a medical doctor and surgeon.

“I went to America University of Caribbean on scholarship and trained as medical doctor and surgeon. When I came back to Nigeria, I went to Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, but I was told that my certificates are not in line with Nigeria education system. I got frustrated and I met Stephen Aneke, who introduced me into the system after I treated her mummy of cancer through medicine,” Nweke said.

Corroborating his explanations, Nweke’s lawyer, F. I. Okeke, also urged the court to tamper justice with mercy, saying his client is a first-time offender.

Responding, the police prosecutor urged the judge to exercise his discretion in accordance with the sections of the law under which the convict was charged.

Citing Section 11 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Section 321 of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, CSP Jackson asked the court to order the convict to make restitution of the money to Zenith Bank Plc, as the bank has paid the N35 million back to Konga.

After listening to Nweke’s plea and that of his lawyer, Justice Anka sentenced him to seven and 20 years’ imprisonment respectively on the charges of conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence.

The judge however ordered that the sentences must run concurrently and commenced from the day Nweke was arrested.

The offences allegedly committed between April and May 2015, were said to have contravened Section 8(a) and 1(1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud, Section 15(1)(a)(ii)(3) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2004, as amended, Sections 17(b) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011, as amended in 2012 and Section 1(1)(a) of the Dishonored Cheques Offences Act, Cap. D. 11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.