N2.9 Billion Fraud: Stop The Blackmail, Face Your Trial – Police, PSC Tell Kenneth Amadi

MICHAEL AKINOLA

Ahead of the criminal trial for conspiracy and conversion of N2.9billion trial pressed against Mr. Kenneth Ndubuisi Amadi, former staff of Eunisell Limited, at the Federal High Court Lagos by the Attorney General of the Federation AGF, the Police and the Police Service Commission, PSC, have in separate reactions advised the defendant to face his trial rather than resort to petition for blackmailing.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the agencies were reacting to a petition dated, 12th December, 2019, by Kenneth Ndubuisi Amadi (the accused person) and addressed to the Chairman, PSC.
In the petition, the petitioner alleged that operatives of the Police and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, who jointly investigated him on the alleged fraud, absolved him of any wrong doing while in the employment of Eunisell Limited.

According to him, he was surprised that the DIG Michael Anthony Ogbizi, DIG FCID Abuja, on the instruction of the CP Legal, DCP Austin Sanomi, both of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, Abuja, still went ahead to send his file to the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, to be tried for a case he had earlier been given a clean bill of health.

But reacting to the petition, Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, said if he were to advise the petitioner, he would ask him to quietly face his trials and stop running from pillar to post.

He said, “Ordinarily as a lawyer, I would not have commented on this matter because it is already in Court because that would be sub judicial but I would only speak on the petition which tends to smear the good image of a man of the rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of FCID and a Commissioner of Police, legal”.

These are not just ordinary Policemen, they earned their positions respectively. The DIG is one that has almost attained the peak of his career and so when I read on the social media that a DIG, CP on fire over bla,bla, bla, I laughed because these are not just Policemen you push to the orderly room trial for whatever reason. Look, anybody can write petition against anybody but it beholds on the person the petition is addressed to and the outcome of the investigation. The Chairman of PSC is a retired Inspector-General of Police with outstanding record, so when you now write a petition accusing a DIG and CP for sending a case file to AGF for trials; then there is a problem. Thank God he didn’t say they compromised by collecting money as is usually said by members of the public. Anytime a matter investigated by the Police is against somebody, the next thing is, Police collected money and compromised.”

“The fact that the matter is in Court and he is still writing petition
ipso facto shows that he had something he didn’t want to be revealed.”

Mba said, “I tell people, the Court is about the best place to resolve issues. If Eunisell Limited is alleging that while in its employment  Amadi stole the stated amount, the onus is on him to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he did not. Perhaps he got a loan from bank or somewhere else, let him show to the Court; ditto his accuser”.

“In criminal prosecution, you need to convince the Court beyond reasonable doubt that you are innocent of any charged pressed against you. So let him go and face his trial rather than writing petition here and there.”
In the same vein, the Head, Media and Publicity of PSC, Mr. Ikechukwu Ani, though said he had been on annual vacation and therefore, had no knowledge of any of such petition, advised the accused person to face his trial rather than resort to blackmail.

“I am not aware of the said petition because I have been on leave. But if a matter had been referred to AGF for trial by an investigating body, what it means is that the accused has a case to answer.”
“The Court is not for a particular person; that you drag somebody to Court does not make him guilty. I will find out when I resume and get back to you. But if you ask me, I would advise the petitioner to just continue with the trial, who knows he may be innocent of the accusation” he said.

The Attorney General of the Federation had in Suit No. FHC/L/355/19
dragged Kenneth Ndubuisi Amadi & IDID Nigeria Limited, his company before a Federal High Court presided by Justice Mohammed Liman in Lagos, for allegedly obtaining the sum of N2.9billion by false pretence belonging to Eunisell Limited from A-Z Petroleum Limited and AMMASCO International Limited. The accused was alleged to have committed the offence sometime in 2016 while still in the employment of Eunisell Limited using his company IDID Nigeria Limited. According to the charges, he forged documents with the intent that they may be acted upon as genuine to the prejudice of Eunisell Limited. He also received the sum of N2.9 billion belonging to Eunisell with intent to defraud and omitted from making full and true entry in the books and
accounts of the company; because at all material times he was a
trusted senior staff.
The offence according to the charge, contravenes
section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other fraud  related
offences Act,CapA6,laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and
punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act. However, when the
matter came up for hearing on December 9, 2019, the defendants were not in court ostensibly because they may not have been duly served as adduced to by the defence Counsel, Emeka Etiaba SAN. But the matter had been adjourned to January 8, 2020, not without the defendants being served in the Court room by the Chief State Counsel from the department of Public Prosecutions of the federation, Mr. A. K. Alilu who told the Court that it had been difficult serving the defendants a copy of the charge.

One of the charges read: “That you Kenneth Ndubuisi Amadi, male adult of No. 31A,Providence Street, Lekki Phase 1,Lagos and IDID Nigeria Limited of No 26,Osisiogu Crescent, Utako Abuja sometime in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did obtain by false pretence and with intent to defraud, the sum of N2.9b only belonging to Eunisell Nigeria Limited, from A-Z Petroleum  Limited and AMMASCO International Limited and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, Cap. A6, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.