By Adedapo Adesanya
The Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) has arraigned one Mr Ibrahim Shuaibu before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court, sitting in Kaduna State on a seven-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, impersonation, and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N100 million.
Count one of his charges reads: “That you, Nuhu Ibrahim Shuaibu (a.k.a Ishaku Abdulrazak) (M) and lIya Garba (now deceased) sometime in 2017 in Kaduna within the judicial division of this honourable court did conspire between yourselves to do an illegal act, to wit: obtaining money under false pretence and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
Another reads: “That you, Nuhu Ibrahim Shuaibu (a.k.a Ishaku Abdulrazak)(M) sometime in 2018 at Kaduna within the judicial division of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, obtained the total sum of N47,050,000.00 (Forty-Seven Million and Fifty Thousand Naira) from one Faisal Safiyanu, when you claimed to supply him petroleum products, which 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 Offenses Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
He pleaded “not guilty” to all the charges when they were read to him, prompting the prosecution counsel, M. Lawal to urge the court to fix a trial date.
His counsel, Mr AbdulKareem Audu failed to file a bail application.
Justice Khobo afterwards ordered the defendant to be remanded in the custody of the EFCC.
Mr Shuaibu’s journey to prosecution started sometime in 2017 when he presented himself to his victim as Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) (then a Corporation) Group Executive Director and promised to assist him procure over 2,000 litres of petroleum products for which the victim transferred the agreed cost to his bank accounts in tranches.
Mr Shuaibu failed to fulfil his part of the bargain after receiving payment and failed to refund his victim his money.