Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
Justice Umaru Fadawu of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri, on Monday, July 4, 2022, convicted and sentenced one Horso Amma Abba to seven years imprisonment.
Abba was arraigned on April 11, 2019 by the Maiduguri Zonal Command on a one count charge that bordered on obtaining by false pretence.
He was alleged to have sold a property belonging to Alhaji Ahmed Kois Abdulkarim without his consent and diverted the proceeds to his own use.
The count reads: “That you, Hurso Abba Amma, between September and November, 2016 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, induced one Muhammad Nur to deliver to you the sum of Three Million Naira (N3,000,000.00) only in payment of consideration for purported sale of a house situate at behind Umar Shehu Hospital, Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Borno State under the false pretence that you were authorised to sell same for an on behalf of the real owner which fact you knew to be false and 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.”
The defendant pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the charge.
During the trial, the prosecution counsel, Haruna Abdulkadir, presented three witnesses and tendered several documents in evidence.
In his judgement, Justice Fadawu said the prosecution had proved the case against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt.
He, therefore, convicted and sentenced Abba to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine.
The judge further ordered that the prison term should take effect from July 4, 2022.
In another development, the Maiduguri Zonal Command of the EFCC today arraigned the duo of Umar Mustapha and Al’amin Idris before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, on two counts of conspiracy and cheating to the tune of N15,000,000.00.
Count two reads: “That you, Umar Mustapha, Zanna Mala Bukar and Al’amin Idris sometime in March 2020 at Maiduguri, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, induced Abubakar Gimba to deliver to you the sum of N15,000,000.00 (Fifteen Million Naira) under the guise that the said amount represent payment for the purchase of a purported plot of land laying and situated in GRA Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Maiduguri, Borno State 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.”
The defendants pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the charges preferred against them.
Consequently, the prosecution counsel, Mukhtar Ali Ahmed, prayed the court for a trial date and remand of the defendants pending the determination of the case.
Justice Kumaliya ordered the remand of the defendants in prison custody and adjourned till July 25, 2022 for commencement of trial.