By Emmanuel Udom
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abuja Zonal Directorate, has secured the conviction and sentence of one Jonathan Wallang before Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, for defrauding the Cooperative Society of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, the sum of N700,000,000 ( Seven Hundred Million Naira only).
He was jailed after a full trial lasting 10 years upon being arraigned by the EFCC on seven-count charges bordering on obtaining money by false pretence.
Count six of the charges reads, “That you Jonathan Wallang, being the Managing Director of Swift and Hay Limited on or about the 20th October 2011 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N520,000,000 (Five Hundred and Twenty Million Naira) from the NLNG Staff Bonny Cooperative Investment and Credit Society Limited through Dinijocs Nigeria Limited paid into Swift and Hay Limited First Bank Account No:2016419957 under the pretext of selling a plot of land viz: Plot No1 Idu-Sabo District, Cadastral Zone D04, measuring 643398 Hectares covered by File no: MISC 106282 belonging to Larix Company Limited which you had no authority to sell and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud Related Offences Act,02006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act”
Count seven reads, “That you Jonathan Wallang being the Managing Director of Swift and Hay Limited on or about the 3rd November 2011 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja with the intent to defraud obtained the sum of N130,000,000 (One Hundred and Thirty Million Naira) only from the NLNG Staff Bonny Cooperative Investment and Credit Society Limited through Dinijocs Nigeria Limited paid into Swift and Hay Limited First Bank Account No:2016419957 under the pretext of selling a plot of land viz: Plot No1 Idu-Sabo District, Cadastral Zone D04, measuring 643398 Hectares covered by File no: MISC 106282 belonging to Larix Company Limited which you had no authority to sell and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act”
The defendant pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him, paving the way for his full trial that lasted 10 years. In the course of the trial, two defendants, Julius Ola Peter and Ijeoma David Alanza, passed on while the 1st defendant, one Emeka Iloegbunam, was discharged and acquitted. However, Jonathan Wallang was found guilty and convicted.
Justice Muazu, while delivering judgment, convicted and sentenced Wallang to seven years’ imprisonment without an option of fine. He was convicted on counts 1, 2 and 3 bordering on conspiracy and forgery and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment with an option of a fine of NN200,000(Two Hundred Thousand Naira) each.
He was also convicted on counts 6 and 7 bordering on obtaining money by force and was sentenced to several years’ imprisonment without an option of fine. The judge also ordered that the convict restitute the sum of N580,000,000 (Five Hundred and Eighty Million Naira) to NLNG Staff Bonny Cooperative Investment and Credit Society Limited.
Wallang’s journey to Kuje Correctional Centre began in 2015 when Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas NLNG Cooperative Society petitioned the EFCC regarding the convict and three others who connived to defraud the Cooperative of the sum of N700,000,000 (Seven Hundred Million Naira) in the guise of securing anded properties for it in the Federal Capital Territory.
