Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested a fake lawyer, Thankgod Okachi Echem in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for defrauding his “client”, a sum of N7 million.
Okachi, who confessed to be a School Certificate holder, was arrested based on a petition to the EFCC by one of his “clients,” Jonny Wali who alleged that the fake lawyer defrauded him of the sum of N7 million.
The said sum was part of the money awarded him by a Rivers State High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt, as compensation in a legal battle involving him and the former Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) now Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company.
Wali reportedly sued the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company in a matter bordering on land trespass in suit number PHC/468/09 before Justice W.A.Chey Chey of the Rivers State High Court and was awarded the sum of N10 million as compensation.
However, the company failed to pay the compensation to him. In seeking redress for the payment of the money, he reportedly employed the legal services of Thankgod Okachi Echem and Felix Agbarake (Thank God/ Felix & Co. Norugema Chambers).
In 2015, the court ruled in his favour and granted another sum of N8 million as the accumulated interest on the initial N10 million granted as compensation by the court.
A sum of N18 million was consequently paid by the Electricity company to him through Echem’s chambers.
Trouble crept into the whole matter when Echem (who was later found to be a fake lawyer) connived with his colleague: Felix Agbarake and opened an account with the First City Monument Bank, FCMB, in the name of Wali, without his consent.
A sum of N7 million was subsequently paid into the account and cashed but when Echem was confronted with these facts, he owned up and confessed that he was just a School Certificate holder posturing as a lawyer.
A house search conducted on his premises yielded some incriminating documents including a wig and robe belonging to Thank God Okachi Echem.
Echem and his professional colleague: Agbarake will be charged to court soon.
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