EFCC Arraigns Company MD Over Alleged N9m Visa Scam in Port Harcourt

The Port Harcourt Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has brought criminal charges against Echendu Ndubuisi Endy, the Managing Director of Echendu GPC Limited, for allegedly defrauding several victims of a total sum of N9,000,000 (Nine Million Naira) under the pretense of procuring travel visas.

Endy, who is accused of operating a visa scam, appeared before Justice E. A. Obile of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he was arraigned on three counts related to fraud and obtaining money under false pretenses. The charges against him relate to activities between 2023 and 2024, in which he allegedly misled his victims into believing he could secure work permits and caregiver jobs for them in the United Kingdom.

According to the prosecution, Endy took large sums of money from three separate individuals by falsely promising to procure UK work visas for them. One of the charges states that Endy obtained N4,000,000 from Mr. Darlington Abuchi between April 23 and May 2, 2024, with the false assurance of providing a UK work permit.

Similarly, Endy allegedly collected N3,000,000 from Mrs. Ngozi Nzechukwu between August and September 2023 under the same fraudulent pretext. In both instances, the victims were led to believe that Endy had the means to facilitate their travel and employment in the UK, only for them to discover later that he had neither provided the visas nor refunded their money. These actions are said to constitute violations of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006.

At the court proceedings, Endy pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, prompting the prosecution, led by K.A. Yunus, to request a trial date and for Endy to be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS). The defense counsel, P.U. Alikor, sought bail for Endy, informing the court that he had already filed a bail application.

In his ruling, Justice Obile remanded Endy at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre and adjourned the matter to November 28, 2024, for the hearing of the bail application. Endy’s arrest followed a series of complaints from the victims, who reported the alleged fraud to the EFCC, marking the beginning of a legal battle that could bring justice for those defrauded of their hard-earned money.