Man remanded for impersonation, forgery, scamming Immigration aided by Foreign Affairs Ministry officials

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned a man identified as Emmanuel Iladion for impersonation, scamming the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and forging travel documents.

ICPC spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, disclosed this in a statement issued from ICPC Headquarters in Abuja.

Mr. Iladion was docked in a five-count charge brought before Justice M.B. Idris of the Federal Capital Territory High Court 26 in Nyanya, Abuja.

According to the charges, he conspired with one Late Odinaka Obikwelu, a former worker at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to fraudulently obtain a diplomatic passport from the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) with the aid of Ministry officials.

Iladion, it was gathered, posed as the husband of Late Odinaka Obikwelu who was then engaged in divorce saga with her husband, Chuks Winston Obikwelu Esq.

Impersonating Mr. Winston Obikwelu, he had signed a letter titled “Consent for Issuance of Nigeria Standard Passports to Our Children”.

Ogugua explained further in the ICPC statement:

“Mr Emmanuel Iladion, with the intention to mislead the Federal Government of Nigeria, knowingly gave a false statement to the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service in the E-Official Diplomatic Passport Data Form.

“The defendant was also accused of assuming the personality of Mr Chuks Winston Obikwelu when he signed the Consent Form for Issuance of Nigeria Standard Passports as the father of Obikwelu Enyiazu Theresa, Obikwelu Emmanuela Chimdindu, Obikwelu Joan Onyekachi, and Obikwelu Michael Elijah, in the name of Obikwelu Emmanuel Winston, when he knew he was not the father of the above-mentioned children.

“Trouble began to brew for him when the biological father of the children petitioned the commission on Iladion’s fraudulent acts.

“The accused person’s actions are contrary to sections 26 (1) (c) and 25 (1) (a) and punishable under sections (17) (c) and (25) (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, and Section 179 of the Penal Code Cap. 532 Laws of FCT, Abuja.”

Ogugua also related that when the accused person was asked to take his plea, he entered a ‘not guilty’ plea.

However, owing to the failure of the defence counsel to file an application for his bail, the trial judge ordered that the accused be remanded in the Kuje Correctional Service Centre pending a formal bail application.

Justice Idris adjourned the case till July 5, 2021, for commencement of trial.