EFCC arraigns three for N20.5m fraud in Maiduguri

The Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday September 7, 2023, arraigned Ali Alhaji Isa, Alhaji Ali Abubakar and Ibrahim Suleiman Magaji before Justice Umaru Fadawu of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri on separate charges bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, criminal misappropriation and cheating to the tune of N20.500, 000.00 (Twenty Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira).

The charges read: “That you, Ali Alhaji Isa between the 4th and 8th of January, 2021, at Maiduguri within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud did obtain an aggregate some of N4,000,000.00 form Mohammed Alhaji Bukar under the false pretence of the supply of by-products of wheat flour from Crown Flour Mills Ltd to him, the pretence you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.

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“That you, Alhaji Ali Abubakar, sometime in September, 2020 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud did obtained the gross sum of N5,000,000.00 (Five Million, Naira) only, from Bahir Usman Malgwi through your account number 0022162645 domiciled at Unity Bank, with an account name Al Seal Enterprises under the guise that the said sum represent payment for the supply of Hospital Equipment to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano and which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 (1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under section 3 of the same Act.

“That you, Ibrahim Suleiman Magaji, on or about August 2021 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court dishonestly misappropriated and converted for your own use the aggregate sum of N11,500,000.00  (Eleven Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira), belonging to Umara Bukar under the guise that you will use the said money to purchase and supply 24 tons of Hibiscus flower (Zobo) to him and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under sections 308 and 309 of the Penal Code Law of Borno State (Cap. 102 Vol. 3 of 1994) respectively.”

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The defendants pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the charges preferred against them.

Counsel for the prosecution, Faruq Muhammad who appeared alongside Abdulmalik  Aliyu and A. Y Ayenshola asked for the remand of the defendants as well as a date to prove the case against them.

Justice Fadawu adjourned the matter till September 14th, 15tth, 19th 20th and 21st, 2023 for commencement of trial and remanded the defendants in prison custody.