The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, April
6, 2016, arraigned Patrick Shanchi Nwokike, Managing Director of a
wonder bank, ‘Let’s Partner With You’ alongside his wife, Rosemary
Ifeoma Nwokike, before Justice Dugbo Aghoghorie of the Federal High
Court sitting in Enugu, Enugu State on a 10-count charge bordering on
Advanced Fee Fraud and carrying out banking business without valid
License.
The offence runs contrary to the provisions of Section 8 (a) of the
Advance Fee Fraud and other fraud related offences Act, 2006 and
punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act. It also breaches Section
2(1) of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act.
Nwokike and his wife’s journey to the dock followed series of petitions
from Nigerians across religious, gender, ethnic, economic and social
strata alleging that their company, ‘Let’s Partner With You’, had over
the past five years solicited and obtained deposits of more than
N4billion from the general public with promises of mouth-watering
interest in return.
Investigation revealed that, the company had no license to solicit and
manage funds for the public nor was it registered with the Securities
and Exchange Commission, SEC, or the Nigeria Deposit Insurance
Corporation, NDIC.
‘Let’s Partner With You’ was found to have over six accounts in about
four banks with Nwokike and his wife being the only signatories to the
accounts.
Further investigations revealed that the company had, for some time,
paid a 10% (ten percent) interest on invested capital but suddenly
stopped and efforts by depositors to have at least their initial
investments were futile.
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