An America trained medical doctor and surgeon, John Adindu Nweke, was today convicted and sentenced to a total of 27 years imprisonment without an option of fine, by a Lagos Federal High Court.
Nweke duped Zenith Bank and e-commerce giant, Konga Nigeria of N35 million.
Dr. Nweke who posed as Senator Haruna Baba Musa, a Senator from Sokoto State, was convicted and given the jail terms by Justice Abdulazeez Anka, after pronouncing him guilty of charges bordering on conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence, made against him by the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Ikoyi, Lagos.
Dr. Nweke’s journey to prison began on October 8, 2016, when he was brought before the court alongside Anike Igwe Stephen (now deceased) and Kelechi Chetachi Emenike (a cart pusher), on a five count-charge of conspiracy, money laundering, false representation and obtaining high class phones valued N35 Million from an online sale outlet, Konga.
Among the phones fraudulently received from Konga Online Shopping Limited includes: nine Samsung phones; two blackberry phones; five iPhones; three Sunny Xperia phones and two cameras.
They were also said to issue dud cheques which were returned due to insufficient funds.
The prosecutor, Mr. Emmanuel Jackson, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) and Officer in Charge of Lagos PSFU’s Legal Department, told the court that the the convict and others committed the offences between April and May 2015, adding that the offences are contrary to Sections 8(a) and 1(1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud, and 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.
Midway to the three men trial, one of them, Stephen Aneke Igwe, became deceased and the police amended the charge.
During their trial, the prosecutor, CSP Jackson, called several witnesses including the Investigation Police Officer (IPO), officials of Konga, Zenith Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Fidelity Bank Plc, as well tendered several documents.
Delivering judgment on the charges today, Justice Anka, after legally analysing all the arguments of parties before him, the judge absolved the second defendant in the charge, Kelechi Chetachi Emenike, the cart pusher, of all the charges.
Justice Anka however, pronounced the American trained medical doctor and surgeon, John Adindu Nweke guilty of conspiracy and obtaining the phones by false pretence, and consequently convict him.
In his response, the convict, Dr. Nweke, pleaded with the court to have mercy on him, adding that, he went into crime because he became frustrated when he could not find a job in Nigeria after being trained in America as medical doctor and surgeon.
In his plea, he said, “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”.
The convict also asked that he should be given a second chance, as he became remorseful and learned in hard way.
The convict’s counsel, Mr. F. I. Okeke, joined his client to beg the court to have mercy on him as a first time convict.
But the prosecutor, CSP Jackson, urged the court to use his discretion in accordance with the sections of the laws that the convict was charged.
CSP Jackson also, while citing section 11 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Section 321 of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, told the court to order the convict to make restitution to Zenith Bank Plc, as the bank had paid the lost N35 million back to Konga.
After listening to the plea of the convict and the counsel’s submissions, the judge sentenced the convict to seven and 20 years imprisonment on the charges of conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence.
Justice Anka however held that the sentences are to run concurrently and commenced from the day he was arrested.
