Enugu State Police Command has dragged a hospital employee, Mrs. Stella Achara to an Enugu High Court over alleged employment scam of N14 million.
Achara, the Personal Secretary to the Medical Director of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, Dr. Jojo Onwukwe, is facing charges of Advanced Fee Fraud.
In the charge No. E/197C/2017, signed by Mr. Damian Njoku-Umeh, the officer-in-charge, legal prosecution, Enugu State Police Command, she was accused of defrauding job seekers of N14 million.
According to the police, “Stella Achara in or about the years 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 at Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu in the Enugu
Judicial Division, did by force pretence, and with intent to defraud, obtain from one Nwatarah Hope “f”, Stella Egotanwa “f”, Ogbe Onyinye “f”, Nwufo Ifeoma “f” Aforka Clementina “f”, Ikemefuna Ebonyi “m”, Stella Onyeji “f” Mbah Loveth Ifeoma “f”, Okoh Perpetua “f”, Uche Onyia “f”, Egbo Nonye, Igbokwe Patricia “f” and Nwaizugbe Chioma “f” the total sum of N14 million by falsely pretending that you have power to procure employment for them and what you would employ them as worker at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, New Haven, Enugu, which presentation you knew to be false.”
Her conduct is said to have amounted to “obtaining property by false pretenses contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) and punishable under section 1 (3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other Fraud related offences act, No 14 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2006.”
Achara’s ordeal started following multiple reports against her at both the Enugu Area Command and the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Nigeria Police by over 50 job seekers, who claimed that they paid money to her for a job that never came.
Consequently, the police launched investigation, during which they claimed several signed and unsigned appointment letters were recovered from the suspect’s home.
Among the job seekers, who enlisted as prosecution witnesses were: Nwatarah Hope, Nwufor Ifeaoma, Ikemefuna Abonyi, Stella Onyeji, Mbah Loveth, Okoh Perpetua, Uche Onyia, Egbe Nonye, who claimed to have paid the suspect N185,000, N450,000, N600,000, N450,000, N350,000, N250,000, N350,000 and N350,000, respectively.
