Court convicts serial fraudster, three others for N5m fraud in Maiduguri

The Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) has secured the conviction and sentencing of  the quartet of Allen Abel, Jerry Shugaba, Ramat Bukar and Buba Hamidu y before Justice Umaru Fadawu of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri on separate charges bordering on obtaining by false pretence,  personation and cheating to the tune of Five Million Three Hundred and Eighty Three Thousand Naira (N5.383, 000.00).

The charge against Abel reads: “That you, Allen Abel sometime in April, 2020 in Maiduguri Borno State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court fraudulently induced one Alhassan Sanusi to deliver to you 100 bags of sugar at the cost of Sixteen Thousand Naira (N16,000.00) each in the gross value of One Million Six Hundred Thousand Naira (N1,600,000.00) only under false petence of executing a purported contract awarded by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs Disaster Management and Social Development which fact you knew to be false thereby committed 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.”

For Shugaba, the charge reads: “That you Jerry Shugaba sometime in June, 2019 in Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly induced Daniel Madu to deliver to you the sum of N2, 650 000.00 (Two Million Six Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) under the guise of executing a contract for the supply of Dignity Kits purportedly awarded to you by Norwegian Church Aid, a Non–Governmental Organisation with No: MDG-107-03-202 and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 (a) and punishable under Section 322 of the Penal Code Cap 102 Laws of Borno State. ”

One of the two counts brought against Ramat Bukar reads: “That you, Ramat Bukar sometime in 2019 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently induced one Ishaku Inuwa of Polo Area Maiduguri, to deliver to you the total sum of N18,000.00 (Eighteen Thousand Naira) only as payment for registration fees of 2019/2020 SSCE (Senior School Certificate Examination ) in favour of his Sister Abugail Waba which you failed to discharge your obligation and refused to refund the entire sum delivered to you and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under sections 320 and 322 of the Penal Code Laws of Borno State Cap.102 Vol. 3 of 1994 respectively.”

Hamidu’s lone count reads: “That you, Buba Hamidu sometime in February, 2021 or thereabout in Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court dishonestly induced one Zainab Lawan Gana to cause the sum of Three Hundred Thousand Naira (N300,000.00) only to be delivered to you in the guise of securing jobs for her siblings at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Sections 320 and 322 of the Penal Code Laws of Borno State respectively.”

The defendants pleaded ‘guilty’ when the charges were read to them.

Counsel for the prosecution, Haruna Abdulkadir, prayed the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.

Justice Umaru in his separate Judgment, sentenced Allen Abel to seven years imprisonment for the offence of obtaining money by false pretence without option of fine, and one year imprisonment with an option of fifty thousand naira fine for personation.

The court ordered the convict to restitute the sum of N1.6m to his victim.

The court also sentenced Shugaba to one year imprisonment with an option of One Hundred Thousand Naira fine. The defendant was ordered to pay his victim the sum of Two Million Naira and in default, serve five years prison.

Bukar and Hamidu, bag one year with an option of Five Hundred Thousand Naira fine each. They were ordered to restitute their victims by the Judge.