The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned Amechi James Oduofor earlier than the Federal High Court in Benin City, Edo State, over an alleged $285,000 crude oil rip-off involving a Singaporean, Jimmy Kee.
A press release by the company mentioned Oduofor was arraigned on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, by the EFCC’s Benin Zonal Directorate earlier than Justice C. A. Obiozor on an eight-count cost bordering on forgery, impersonation and acquiring cash by false pretence.
The fee alleged that Oduofor obtained the cash from Kee by falsely claiming to be an official of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and demanding a fictitious cargo reassignment payment for mild crude oil from Nigeria.
According to the EFCC, the defendant allegedly posed as Bright Wilcox, an engineer and Desk Manager, Operations, Offshore, of the NNPC, to persuade the Singaporean that the transaction was real.
The fee additional alleged that Oduofor created a fraudulent e-mail account and used it to ship solid NNPC paperwork to Kee in an try and receive the cash.
One of the costs towards him reads, “That you Amechi James Oduofor, sometime in 2020 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did knowingly make a false document to wit: a false identity card of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation with the name Wilcox Bright as a Desk Manager – Operations Offshore Loading Petroleum, with intent that one Jimmy Kee, a Singaporean, may, in the belief that it is genuine, be induced to pay the aggregate sum of $285,000 (Two Hundred and Eighty-Five Thousand USD) to you and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, CAP M17 of the Revised Edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) 2007.”
Another cost accused Oduofor of knowingly altering a doc described as a “Proforma Invoice for Marine (ATB)” and sending it to Kee via an e-mail account recognized as [email protected].
The cost reads, “That you Amechi James Oduofor, sometime in 2020 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did knowingly alter a false document captioned ‘Proforma Invoice for Marine (ATB)’ by sending the said document via your email [email protected] to one Jimmy Kee with intent that the said Jimmy Kee may, in the belief that it is genuine, be induced to pay the aggregate sum of $285,000 (Two Hundred and Eighty-Five Thousand USD) to you and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1(2)(2) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17 of the Revised Edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) 2007.”
Oduofor pleaded “not guilty” to the costs after they had been learn to him in court docket.
Following his plea, prosecution counsel I. M. Elodi requested the court docket to repair a date for trial and order that the defendant be remanded in a correctional facility.
Justice Obiozor adjourned the case till November 19, 2026, for listening to and ordered that Oduofor be remanded in a correctional facility.
