EFCC ARRAIGNS KAMBA, THREE OTHERS OVER LAND SCAM

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday May 30, 2013, arraigned the quartet of Ibrahim Mohammed Kamba, Steven Imokhe, Hassan Argungu and Ibrahim Mohammed Bashir before Justice Abba B. Mohammed of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Apo, Abuja, on a 13-count criminal charge of conspiracy, stealing, forgery, personation, criminal conversion and obtaining under false pretence.

When the charges were read to them, a translator in Hausa language, Bala Ibrahim Mohammed, who works within the court, translated the charges to the first accused. They pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

One of the charge reads, “That you Ibrahim Mohammed Kamba, Ibrahim Mohammed Bashir, Steve Imokhe and Hassan Argungu on or about the 25^th July, 2010 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, agreed amongst yourselves to do an illegal act to wit: obtain titled documents under false pretences and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006”

Counsel to the 1^st accused person, Hassan M. Liman, prayed the court to grant the accused person bail, as he stated that the administrative bail given to the accused by the EFCC should be allowed to continue. Counsel to the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th accused persons also aligned themselves with the argument of the counsel to the 1^st accused person.

Prosecution Counsel, Cosmos O. Ugwu, explained that the issue of administrative bail is a process that is employed pending the arraignment of accused persons, once accused are properly arraigned before the court, the administrative bail lapses and that is why a formal application has to be brought before the court.

The Judge however granted bail to the 1^st accused persons in the sum of N20 million with one surety who must be a member of the House of Representatives. For the 2^nd accused person, the judge granted bail in the sum of N20 million and three sureties in like sum. The sureties, according to the judge, must be civil servants of not less than grade level 12 officers; N10 million naira with two sureties for the 3^rd accused person.

While adjourning the case to June 26, 2013, for commencement of trial, the judge ruled that the 4^th accused person who has been on the run should be remanded in Kuje Prison, as he fixed June 14, 2013, for hearing of the bail application.