ALFA ARRAIGNS OVER N.6MILLION FRAUD

The petitioner disclosed that he travelled to meet Isma’ila, who told him that he will pray for him to be rich but that he had to buy some perfumes for the prayers, and for that, the defendant collected several amounts of money from him on different dates.

Penpushing further reports that, the complainant disclosed that he later found out that the whole thing was a fraud and that all efforts for him to recover his money proved abortive.

Count one reads: “That you Umaru Ismaila sometime between the months of March, 2017, June and July, 2018 at Sokoto within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the total sum N668,000.00 (Six Hundred and Sixty Eight Thousand Naira) from one Sani Musa, when you falsely represented yourself to him as capable of making him become rich (wealthy) by praying for him, a pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act”.

Penpushing also reports that,the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges, and following his plea, the prosecution counsel, Habila Jonathan, asked the court for a date for the commencement of trial and prayed the court to remand the defendant in prison custody.

However, the defense counsel, A. Anas prayed the court to grant the defendant bail, arguing that his offences were bailable.

Penpushing reports that, Justice Bello Duwale granted the defendant bail in the sum of N20, 000 (Twenty Thousand Naira) and one surety in the like sum. The surety must be the Local Government Area Councilor, representing the defendant.

Meanwhile,the matter was adjourned to May 6, 2019 for hearing, while the defendant was remanded in prison custody pending the perfection of his bail conditions.