Court Remands Dr Echefu In Prison

Justice S.C Amadi of the State High Court, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has ordered one Bright Echefu to be remanded in prison pending the hearing of his bail application on January 25, 2016.

The suspect, believed to be a Doctor, was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Thursday, January 21, 2016, on one-count charge bordering on Issuance of Dud Cheque and Obtaining by false pretense.

Echefu was accused of receiving computer accessories, laptops and stationeries which were delivered to his (suspect) business premises at Touchville Hotel, Ada George Road, Port Harcourt by the victim.

But after the supply, the suspect was said to have issued a post dated UBA cheque of one million, one hundred and sixty five thousand, five hundred naira (N1, 165, 500. 00), with a further agreement to pay the balance of One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N150, 000) on a later date.

However, the cheque was returned unpaid due to insufficient funds on the suspect’s account and efforts made to recover the money by the victim, were futile.

The charge reads, “That you, Bright Echefu on or about the 17th day of December, 2013 at Port Harcourt in the Port Harcourt Judicial Division did issue a United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc. Cheque No. 00000068 drawn on your Cooperate Account (Gifted Word Broadcasting Limited) with Account No. 033213466 in the sum of One Million, One Hundred and Sixty Five Thousand, Five Hundred Naira (N1, 165, 500. 00) in favor of PCA Tech Integrated Services which was presented for payment within three (3) months, and was dishonoured on grounds of insufficient funds standing to your credit and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 (1)(a) and punishable under Section 1 (ii) of the Dishonored Cheques Offences Act Cap D11 of the Revised Edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) Act 2007.”

The suspect was in the news in December 2015 for allegedly proposing marriage to his late wife’s close friend named Florence Esu. This happened barely four months after the said woman, Cindy Nzeribe, died while pregnant with their third child together.