The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Port Harcourt Zonal Directorate has arraigned Echendu Ndubuisi Endy, the Managing Director of Echendu GPC Limited, before Justice E. A. Obile of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He faces charges for allegedly defrauding victims of N9 million by falsely claiming to secure travel visas for them.
Endy was charged with three counts of visa fraud and obtaining money under false pretenses, offenses that violate Section 1(1)(a) & (b) of the advance fee fraud and other fraud related offences act, 2006, punishable under Section 1(3) of the same act.
One of the count charges reads: “That you, Echendu Ndubuisi Endy while being the Managing Director of Echendu GPC Limited between 23rd day of April 2024 to 2rd May 2024 in Port Harcourt, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud did obtain the total sum of N4 million only from Mr Darlington Abuchi under the pretense that you had the capacity to procure United Kingdom work permit visa to enable him work and stay in United Kingdom which pretense you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) a & b of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section|1(3) of the same Act.”
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Another count reads: :That you, Echendu Ndubuisi Endy while being the Managing Director of Echendu GPC Limited between 16th day of August 2023 to 14th September 2023 in Port Harcourt, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud did obtain the total sum of N3 million from Mrs Ngozi Nzechukwu under the pretense that you had the capacity to procure United Kingdom work permit visa to enable her work and stay in United Kingdom which pretense you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) a & b of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act. 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act”.
He pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the charges when they were read to him. Following this, prosecution counsel K. A. Yunus requested that the court set a date for the commencement of the trial and that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS).
In response, defense counsel P. U. Alikor informed the court that he had applied for the defendant’s bail and requested that the court grant bail to allow him time to prepare for the trial.
In his ruling, Justice Obile ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre.
The case was adjourned to November 28, 2024, for the hearing of the bail application.
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Endy was arrested in October 2024 for allegedly being involved in a visa scam and obtaining money under false pretenses, as reported to the Commission by three separate petitioners.
He is accused of collecting a total of N9 million from the petitioners with the promise of securing travel visas and caregiving jobs for them in the United Kingdom.
However, he neither procured the visas nor refunded the money.
