EFCC Declares NATFORCE DG Wanted Over Alleged N1.1m Fraud

The DG’s name, among a list of wanted persons, was announced through a publication on the website of the commission.

The publication read in part: “The public is, hereby, notified that Chief Osita Emmanuel Okereke, DG, National Taskforce to Combat Illegal Importation of Goods, Small Arms, Ammunitions and Light Weapon ( NATFORCE), whose photograph appears above, is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a case of criminal conspiracy and impersonation.

“Okereke, who was arrested with several incriminating items, including bullet proof vests, has jumped bail. Dark complexioned Okereke is 50 years old and hails from Ideato Local Government Area of Imo State. His last known address is No 8, Tunde Ogbeha Street, Apo, Durumi, Abuja.”

The DG was arraigned by the EFCC in year 2013, for allegedly being in possession of incriminating items, impersonation, forgery and criminal conspiracy to obtain the sum of N1, 450,000 for employment into National Task Force.

Okereke, who had been dragged before Justice J. Y. Tukur, of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja, had been instituted with a six-count charge.

He was remanded in Kuje Prison and granted bail in December, same year.

The EFCC had alleged that the DG and Nwogu forged a document of the Federal Government entitled “Restricted, Federal Government of Nigeria, National Task Force” and falsely held public offices as DG and Director, FCT Command of National Task Force, through which they were said to have obtained money from sales of employment forms.

One of the charges by the commission read: “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 to you through FirstBank 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.”