Nigerian Bishop remanded in prison custody over fraud

The Police command in Enugu says a cleric, Bishop Ginika Obi, recently arrested over alleged advance fee fraud involving over N500 million, has been remanded at the Enugu Maximum Prison.

In a statement issued in Enugu on Tuesday, the spokesman of the command, Mr Ebere Amaraizu said Obi was arraigned on October 11 in at the Federal High Court in Enugu presided over by Justice A. Liman.

The Bishop, whose church and office is at Km 111, Enugu-Port Harcourt highway, Enugu, had been alleged to have tricked many people to pay huge amounts of money to him.

He was said to have claimed that he would help his victims reap bumper financial dividends in return.

Amaraizu said the suspect had been in prison custody since October 12 and that further hearing on his case had been scheduled for November 1 and November 2.

“His offences ranging from conspiracy and advance fee fraud were committed in conjunction with others now at large.

“On October 11, he took his plea after his 82 counts charge of conspiracy and advance fee fraud were read to him.

“He was later remanded in Police custody based on the plea of his defence counsel to be brought to court on October 12 for further hearing.

“He was later remanded in prison custody as he could not meet his bail conditions,’’ the command’s spokesperson said.

Amarizu said that the suspect’s arrest and arraignment followed several petitions against him and others now at large for allegedly swindling unsuspecting members of the public.

He said that the Bishop and his alleged cohorts disappeared without traces until the command, through intelligence, closed up on him in a hotel in Enugu. (NAN)