The Director-General of the National Task Force to Combat Illegal Importation of Small Arms, Ammunition, and Light Weapons (NATFORCE), Emmanuel Osita Okereke, has been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for jumping bail.
Okereke was a former presidential aspirant under the platform of the Nigerian Liberation Party (NLP).
The ex-presidential aspirant is being prosecuted by the EFCC on a six-count charge of impersonation, forgery and obtaining by false pretence, the Head of Media and Publicity of the anti-graft agency, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren said.
According to the EFCC spokesman, the suspect was arraigned on November 21, 2013 before Justice J. Y. Tukur of the FCT High Court, Apo, Abuja, for allegedly forging a document of the Federal Government titled: “Restricted, Federal Government of Nigeria, National Task Force”.
Uwujaren said: “He alleged falsely held public offices as DG and director, FCT Command of National Task Force, through which along with Ishmael Chinyere Nwogu, he fraudulently obtained money from sale of employment forms.
“Okereke, who was arrested with several incriminating items, including bullet proof vests, has however, jumped bail and is currently wanted by the EFCC.
“He allegedly operates a syndicate, which maintains offices across the country, defrauding unsuspecting members of the public, by selling recruitment forms for N5, 000 in the guise that they would be offered job by the federal government.
“The EFCC enjoins members of the public with information on the whereabouts of Okereke to contact any of its offices in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Gombe and Kano, or the nearest police station”.
One of the charges against Okerekke reads: “That you Osita Okereke and Ishmael Chinyere Nwogu sometime in March, 2010 in Abuja within the judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory knowingly had in your possession a forged document titled: ‘RESTRICTED, FEDERAL REPBLIC OF NIGERIA, NATIONAL TASK FORCE’ with intent to defraud, fraudulently used same as genuine to induce the public to believe that your organization is an agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria and consequently remitted the aggregate sum of N1,145,000 to you through First Bank account number 3066173170 and thereby committed an offence and punishable under section 368 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja)”.
Uwujaren said Justice Tukur had granted the request of the suspect’s counsel, Kanayo Okofar, requesting that he be granted bail.
