The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned one Obade Monday Christian (aka FBI Commander/Diplomat Director) and Ijeboi Dennis (aka Andrew Tran Huynh), before Justice Abubakar Baba Shani of the Federal Capital Territory, High Court, Apo, Abuja over $2.8m United States of America Dollar fraud.
Dennis,(aka Andrew Tran huynh) and Monday, who claimed to be a Commander with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, and Diplomat Director, were arraigned on a five count- charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining the sum of Two Million, Eight Hundred and Twenty Two Thousand, Eight Hundred and Sixty United States Dollars ($2, 822,860.00) by false pretense.
According to the charge, the defendants conspired an allegedly defraud one Holly Ngo, a United States of America Citizen while posing as American doctors stranded in Afghanistan.
On Thursday, November 17, 2022 when the defendants were before the judge, their lawyer S.T Sanni attempted to abort their planned arraignment. The lawyer objected to their arraignment as he informed the court that the defendants only received the charge and proof of evidence on Wednesday, November 16, 2022
But his objection was overruled by the judge, who ruled that the prosecution had complied with Section 35 of the Constitution by producing the defendants in court, and ordered that, arraignment of the defendant should proceed.
The charge were read before the defendants .Count two of the charge against the defendants reads as follows: “That you, Ijeboi Dennis (aka Andrew Tran Huynh), Obade Monday Christian (aka FBI Commander/Diplomat Director), Ekhoguagbon Osazuwa Patrick (aka Patrick Paul)(still at large) and Omage Emmanuel Omole(now deceased) between January 2021 and September 2021, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, with the intent to defraud, obtained an aggregate sum of $2,8822,860.00(Two Million, Eight Hundred and Twenty Two Thousand, Eight Hundred and Sixty United States Dollars) from Holy Ngo, a United States Citizens under the false pretense that you are American doctors stranded in Afghanistan, which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act,2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges and in view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, Christopher Mshelia, prayed the court to set a date for trial and remand the defendants in the custody of a Correctional Facility.
But Sanni urged the court to allow the defendants in the custody of the EFCC pending determination of their bail application.
Justice Baba Shani remanded the defendants at the Suleja Correctional Facility and adjourned the matter till January 11, 2023 for trial.