Court Jails Two Whistleblowers For Giving False Information To EFCC

Justice I.M. Sani of the Federal High Court sitting in Port
Harcourt, Rivers State has convicted and sentenced two false
whistleblowers: Dominic Okem and Chukwunonso Igweonu, to two months
imprisonment each for conspiracy and giving misleading and false
information.

They were convicted on March 4, 2021 after pleading “guilty” to
two- count charges bordering on giving false information, following
their arraignment by the Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

One of the charges read: “That you Dominic Okem and Chukwunonso
Igweonu on or about the 22nd Day of January, 2021 within the
jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did conspire between
yourselves to give false information to officers of the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission to wilt: huge fund were found at
Enu/Akwu Street, Federal Housing Estate, in Calabar Cross Rivers
State, which information turned out to be false, untrue/misleading
and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 39 (2)
(b) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment)
Act 2004.

Based on their “guilty” plea, prosecution counsel, F.O. Amama
prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendants
accordingly. The defence counsel. E. Wanogho however, prayed the
court not to raise its hammer too hard as the defendants were
actually carrying out their civic responsibilities in line with the
whistle blowing policy of the Federal Government. He regretted that
the effort to expose the proceeds of crime turned out otherwise

In his judgment, Justice Sani found Okem and Igweonu guilty as
charged and convicted and sentenced them to two months
imprisonment, with an option of fine of One Hundred Thousand Naira(
N100,000) each.

The convicts got into trouble when they informed the EFCC that
they saw a huge sum of money in a house, located at Enu-Aqua in
Cross River State. However, when operatives of the Commission
executed a search warrant on the said property, nothing
incriminating was found.

Justice I.M. Sani of the Federal High Court sitting in Port
Harcourt, Rivers State has convicted and sentenced two false
whistleblowers: Dominic Okem and Chukwunonso Igweonu, to two months
imprisonment each for conspiracy and giving misleading and false
information.

They were convicted on March 4, 2021 after pleading “guilty” to
two- count charges bordering on giving false information, following
their arraignment by the Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

One of the charges read: “That you Dominic Okem and Chukwunonso
Igweonu on or about the 22nd Day of January, 2021 within the
jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did conspire between
yourselves to give false information to officers of the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission to wilt: huge fund were found at
Enu/Akwu Street, Federal Housing Estate, in Calabar Cross Rivers
State, which information turned out to be false, untrue/misleading
and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 39 (2)
(b) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment)
Act 2004.

Based on their “guilty” plea, prosecution counsel, F.O. Amama
prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendants
accordingly. The defence counsel. E. Wanogho however, prayed the
court not to raise its hammer too hard as the defendants were
actually carrying out their civic responsibilities in line with the
whistle blowing policy of the Federal Government. He regretted that
the effort to expose the proceeds of crime turned out otherwise

In his judgment, Justice Sani found Okem and Igweonu guilty as
charged and convicted and sentenced them to two months
imprisonment, with an option of fine of One Hundred Thousand Naira(
N100,000) each.

The convicts got into trouble when they informed the EFCC that
they saw a huge sum of money in a house, located at Enu-Aqua in
Cross River State. However, when operatives of the Commission
executed a search warrant on the said property, nothing
incriminating was found.