Justice A. T. Mohammed of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has ordered the remand of Ridge Koripamo in prosecution custody for alleged conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretences.
Koripamo was re-arraigned alongside his daughter, Esther Tombara Krukrubo and their Company, Priko Nigeria Ltd, on Friday July 15, 2022 by the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, on an amended eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence.
One of the count reads:
“That you Esther Tombara Krukrubo, Priko Nigeria Ltd, Ridge Koripamo, sometimes in May, 2021at Port Harcourt, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did obtain the sun of One Hundred Million Naira (100,000,000.00) from one Tupere Bruno by false pretence under the guise of execution of contracts awarded by Fullview Management Ltd. and National Agricultural Mechanization Cooperative Society (NAMCS), which pretext you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) & (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.
Another Count Charge reads:
“That you Esther Tombara Krukrubo, Priko Nigeria Ltd, Ridge Koripamo sometimes in May, 2021at Port Harcourt, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did obtained the sun of Sixty Million Naira (60,000,000.00) from one Tupere Bruno by false pretence under the guise of execution of contracts awarded by Fullview Management Ltd and National Agricultural Mechanization Cooperative Society, (NAMCS) which pretext you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) & (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act2.”
They all pleaded “not guilty” to the charges preferred against them by the prosecution.
In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, I. Agwu prayed the court to fix a date for commencement of trial and that the defendant be remanded in a Correctional Centre pending hearing of bail application of the 3rd defendant.
Counsel to the defendants, Donald Atogbo informed the court of his application for the bail of the 3rd defendant. However, it was strongly opposed by the prosecution on the basis that, he was just served on Thursday, July 14, and he needed time to respond.
Justice Mohammed ordered that, the 3rd defendant be remanded in the custody of the prosecution until the next adjourned date when the court will hear his bail application.
The Judge also ordered that the 1st defendant who was earlier granted administrative bail upon arraignment on March 22, 2022 should continue with it.
The matter was adjourned till Wednesday July 20, 2022 for hearing of bail application and continuation of trial.
Koripamo, together with his daughter, Krukrubo and their company, Priko Nigeria Ltd, ran into trouble when a petitioner alleged that they defrauded her of the sum of N160million through a phony contract deal. It was also discovered that the petitioner transferred funds to the defendants in tranches of One Hundred Million Naira (N100, 000,000.00) and Sixty Million Naira (N60, 000,000.00), into their company’s account domiciled in Wema Bank.
