THREE siblings Vincent Ayewah, Florence Ayewah and Emmanuel Ayewah, and four other persons are facing trial before a Lagos High Court, Ikeja for allegedly defrauding Africa’s richest woman, Mrs Folorunsho Alakija of N3million through her Rose of Sharon Foundation.
Those docked alongside the siblings include; Onuwa David; Okoronkwo Chikadibia; Ehizibolo George, Chinyere Awanah.
Testifying after their arraignment, an operative of the Economic and Financial crimes commission (EFCC), Wasiu Ajisafe, told the court that the anti-graft agency received a petition dated November 15, 2012 from the foundation signed by its founder, Mrs Alakija, against one of its staff, Vincent Ayewah, on issues of stealing, forgery and impersonation.
Ajisafe, while being led in evidence by the EFCC prosecutor, M.D Aliu, told the court that the foundation, which is a non-profit making organisation for empowering widows and awarding scholarship to orphans, hired Vincent to assist the project officer of the foundation in daily duties of attending to beneficiaries.
“Vincent, thereafter, connived with his two siblings who are also beneficiaries at the foundation, including friends, to forge staff Identity cards of the foundation with different names so as to defraud the organisation.”
“The agency, thereafter, received letters of the investigation activities from banks like Fidelity, Stanbic IBTC bank and others. In view of this, other suspects were arrested of which they volunteered their statements under caution.
“A search was conducted in the houses and premises of the suspect and one Mr George, who was the maker of the forged ID cards.
“The fake cards and the computer system used in committing the crime were recovered and each of the suspects made a confessional statement to that effect,” he said.
Justice Hakeem Oshodi thereafter adjourned the matter till June 1, 2017 for continuation of trial.
