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
No comments:
Post a Comment