EFCC Press Release
Two
persons, Bello Mohammed Tukur, a staff of Bauchi State Scholarship Board and one,
Shamsuden Abdullahi, were today arraigned before Justice Mohammed Garba Umar at
the Federal High Court Bauchi by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
for conspiracy, forgery and stealing.
The
duo sometime in 2012, allegedly defrauded the Bauchi State Scholarship Board to
the tune of about N8.023 million.
The
sum was allegedly pulled out from the Board’s accounts at the defunct FinBank (now
FCMB) and GT Bank Plc, with forged instruments.
Further
investigation by the Commission revealed how Tukur who works in the Secret
Registry of the Board, and his accomplices,
intercepts and doctored students scholarship cheques before cashing them
with fake student identity cards. Fictitious names were also found to have been
added to the payment vouchers by Tukur.
One
of the count reads: “That you, Bello Tukur, Shamsudeen Abdullahi and Kabiru Shuaibu
(now at large) sometime between May and July 2012 in Bauchi, Bauchi State
within the Jurisdiction of this court, the Federal High Court of Nigeria did
fraudulently convert to your own use, monies, the sum of N8,023,440:00 (eight
million, twenty three thousand, four hundred and forty naira only) property of
the Bauchi State Scholarship Board and thereby committed an offence contrary to
Section 383 and punishable under Section 390(9) of the Criminal Code Act, Cap
C38, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (LFN) 2004”.
The
accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charge when read to them.
In
view of the plea of the accused persons, prosecuting counsel, Alqasim Ja’afar, asked
the court to fix a date for trial. Attempt by counsel to the accused persons,
Mohammed Rabiu Musa and Dalhatu Sufyan Khalid to move an oral application for
bail was turned down by the judge who asked them to come formally before the
court.
Justice
Umar adjourned the case to June 17, 2014 for trial, while the accused persons
were ordered to be remanded in prison custody.
Wilson Uwujaren
Head,
Media & Publicity
21st
May, 2014
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