The Maiduguri Zonal Command of the EFCC has secured the conviction of two suspects, Bukar Muhammed and Musa Bello in a two separate cases involving fraud.
A press release by Wilson Uwujaren, Head, Media & Publicity of the EFCC, said the duo were convicted by separate High Courts in Maiduguri, presided by over by Justice Aisha Kumaliya and Justice Umaru Fadawu.
“The Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, 12 September, 2023, secured the conviction and sentencing of one Bukar Muhammad before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court Maiduguri to one-year imprisonment.
“The defendant was first arraigned on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, on a one-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence and later re-arraigned on an amended charge for the offence of criminal breach of trust to the tune of N43,328,000.00.
“His journey to prison started when the Commission received a petition by one Alhaji Ali Mohammed who alleged that he entrusted the above-mentioned sum to the defendant for safe keeping but converted it to his own use, ” Uwujaren said.
Mohammed had in 2018 at Maiduguri, fraudulently induced one Alhaji Ali Mohammed to deliver to him monies in Euros and Naira to the equivalent sum of N43,328,000.00) under the false pretence of collecting same for safekeeping, which is an offence contrary to and punishable under sections 1(1)(b) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 respectively.
“The defendant pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the one-count charge prompting a full trial of the case.
“Counsel for the prosecution, Mukhtar Ali Ahmed alongside S.O Saka presented three witnesses and tendered three exhibits as evidence.
“Justice Kumaliya in her judgement, found the defendant guilty and convicted him to a fine of N200,000 or one-year imprisonment. She further ordered the convict to pay a balance of N13,234,100 to his victim or serve additional seven years imprisonment,” Uwujaren said.
Similarly, one Musa Bello was convicted and sentenced to one-year imprisonment by Justice Umaru Fadawu of Borno St, Maiduguri on a One-count charge bordering on cheating to the tune of N1.3m.
The charge read: ‘’That you, Musa Bello on or about 9th March, 2023, in Maiduguri, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court dishonestly induced one Aminu Ahmed and others under the guise of facilitating food distribution items from a Non-Governmental Organization, Save the Children, and collected the total sum of N1.3m and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 320 (a) of Borno State Penal Code Law Cap. 102 and punishable under section 322 of the same law”, Uwujaren said.
Bello who pleaded guilty to the charge, was sentenced to one-year imprisonment with an option of N200,000.
