EFCC Press Release
Justice A.M Bayero of the
Kano State High Court on Friday, November 21, 2014 convicted and sentenced one
Mohammed Lawal to Seven years imprisonment without an option of fine on a three
count charge of obtaining the sum of Seven million, nine hundred and fifty
thousand naira (N7, 950, 000.00) under false pretence.
The convict was arrested by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, sometime in 2010 in Lagos following a petition
by Alhaji Suleiman Baban Abu, a businessman.
Lawal and his cohort, now at
large, were said to have taken the victim to Lagos Wharf,
where he was shown a consignment of fertilizer purportedly awaiting auction by the
Nigeria Customs Service, with assurances that the fertilizers would be sold to
him. Consequently, the victim paid the sum of three million, nine Hundred
and fifty thousand (N3, 950,000.00) to the convict’s Bank PHB (now Keystone
Bank) account, and another Four million naira (N4, 000,000.00) in cash.
Soon after the payments, the
fraudsters disappeared while efforts by the victim to get either the fertilizer
or his money, proved abortive.
Count three of the charge
reads: “That you Muhammed Lawal and Mustapha Idris ( still at large) sometime
in August, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Justice Kano with
intent to defraud did obtain the sum of four million naira (N4,000,000.00)
cash from Suleiman Baban Abu under the false pretence that you have a consignment
of fertilizer to sell to him, which pretence you knew to be false and thereby
committed an offence contrary to section 1(1)(a) of Advance Fee Fraud and Other
Fraud Related offences Act, 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same
Act.”
Aside convicting the accused,
Justice Bayero also ordered him to pay restitution to the victim; and that
failure to do so would attract additional five years imprisonment.
Wilson
Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
24th November, 2014
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