National Task Force Coordinator, Osita Okereke To Remain in Prison

Emmanuel Osita Okereke self-styled Director General of the National Task Force is to remain in Kuje prison till December 10, 2013 At the resumed hearing in the 6-count charge of personation, forgery and obtaining by false pretence preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday, November 26, Justice J. Y. Tukur of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja fixed December 10, 2013 for ruling on the bail application filed by counsel to the duo of Okereke and Ishmael Chinyere Nwogu.

Kanayo Okafor, defence counsel, had urged the court to grant his client bail as he claimed that the offence was bailable and that the accused persons would be available to face trial.

After hearing the argument of both the defence and prosecuting counsel, Justice Tukur adjourned to December 10 for ruling while ordering that the accused persons be returned to Kuje prison.

Okereke and Nwogu who were arraigned on November 21, 2013 are facing a six count charge bordering on personation, forgery and criminal conspiracy to obtain the sum of N1,450,000 (one million, one hundred and forty five thousand naira) for employment into National Task Force.

The accused persons are alleged to have forged a document of the Federal Government titled “Restricted, Federal Government of Nigeria, National Task Force” and falsely held public offices as Director-General and Director, FCT Command of National Task Force through which they fraudulently obtained money from sales of employment form.

One of the charge 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 REPUBLIC 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 N1,145,000.00 ( one million one hundred and forty five thousand naira.) 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)”