The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 arraigned one Josephine Udeh before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, sitting in Maiduguri on a one-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N5,059,000 (Five Million and Fifty-Nine Thousand Naira) only.
Udeh, who is the director of Dala Standard Secondary School, Maiduguri, is alleged to have fraudulently collected the sum from 284 students of the school as WAEC registration fees.
The charge reads: “That you, Josephine Udeh being the director of Dala Standard Secondary School, Maiduguri, sometime between 2017 and 2018 in Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud did obtain the accumulated sum of N 5,059,000.00 (Five Million and Fifty-nine Thousand Naira) only from 284 students of Dala Standard Secondary School, under the false pretence that the said money will be uterlised to pay for their WAEC registration fees, which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(2) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 respectively.”
The accused person pleaded not guilty to the one count charge.
In view of the not guilty plea, counsel to the prosecution Halima Alhaji Shehu prayed the court for a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded in prison custody.
Justice Kumaliya ordered the remand of the accused person in the prison custody and adjourned the matter to May 14, 2019 for commencement of trial.