The Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has ordered the remand of a woman, Joanah Eyong, over an alleged N16.7 million visa fraud involving two individuals.
Eyong and her company, Joanah Eyere Consulting Limited, were arraigned before Justice Daniel Osiagor by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a four-count charge bordering on the alleged fraudulent conversion of funds entrusted to them for visa processing.
The defendants were accused of allegedly converting a total of N16,701,800 belonging to two individuals, Ngozi Okwuchukwu and Udogwu Ikechukwu, under the pretext of facilitating their visa applications.
According to the charge on Monday, Eyong and her company allegedly converted N5.7 million belonging to Okwuchukwu between November 7 and 8, 2023, in Lagos.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants fraudulently converted N11,001,800 belonging to Ikechukwu between June 14 and July 29, 2024.
The charge stated that the funds were received by the defendants in the course of processing the victims’ visa applications but were allegedly converted for their personal use.
The alleged offences are said to contravene Section 383(1) and are punishable under Section 390 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap. C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
When the charges were read to them, the defendants pleaded not guilty to all the counts.
Following their pleas, prosecution counsel, F.B. Orilade, urged the court to remand the defendant in a correctional facility and requested a date for the commencement of trial.
However, in his ruling, Justice Osiagor admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N12 million with one surety in like sum.
The judge stipulated that the surety must be a civil servant on Grade Level 15, own landed property within the jurisdiction of the court and have the relevant credentials verified by the court’s registrar.
Pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions, the defendant was ordered to remain in a correctional facility.
The court adjourned the case until March 17, 2027, for the commencement of trial.