The Benin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 arraigned a businessman, Oviri Oghenebrume Believe and his company, Grant Impex Nig. Ltd before Justice H. A. Nganjiwa of the Federal High Court, sitting in Warri, Delta State for fraud.
Believe and his firm are being prosecuted on a one-count charge, bordering on advance fee fraud and obtaining by false pretence, involving 30,000 litres of diesel, Automotive Gas Oil, AGO valued at N24,3000,000 (Twenty-four million, three hundred thousand Naira).
The charge reads: “That you Oviri Oghenerume Believe (M) being the Managing Director of Grant Impex Nig Ltd and Grant Impex Nig Ltd on or about the 7th day of October, 2022 in Warri, Delta State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud did obtain 30, 000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) valued at N24,300,000.00 (Twenty-four million, three hundred thousand Naira) from Patrick Egogo of Solutions Patrick Nig. Enterprises Oil and Gas Supply under the false pretence that you had an LPO given you by Africa Alpha Realization Ltd and payment for the product will be made after Africa Alpha Realization Ltd pays for the product which pretence you knew is false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
When the charge was reads to Believe, he pleaded “not guilty” to the offence. The development prompted the prosecuting EFCC lawyer, Francis Jirb, to urged the court for a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded in a correctional centre. But the defence lawyer pleaded that the court should grant him bail.
Justice Nganjiwa later granted bail to Believe in the sum of N5million and a surety in like sum. He further held that the defendant or surety should deposit a refundable sum of N10million with the deputy court registrar to be deposited in an interest yielding account.
The judge further directed that the surety must be an owner of a landed property with the title documents to be submitted to the court registrar, while the court registrar must verify the documents in conjunction with EFCC operatives to ascertain their authenticity.
The judge later adjourned the case till July 16, 2025 and ordered that the defendant be remanded in a correctional centre pending the perfection of his bail terms.
Believe is alleged to have obtained 30,000 liters of diesel, Automated Gas Oil, AGO from one Patrick Egogo of Solutions Patrick Nig. Enterprises Oil and Gas Supply under the pretence that he had a Local Purchase Order, LPO from Africa Alpha Realization Ltd and that payment for the product will be made after Africa Alpha Realization Ltd paid for the product, which allegedly turned out to be false pretence.
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