Kano Court Convicts PhD Student for Multi-Million Naira Fraud
A Kano State High Court has sentenced Bulama Abdulrahman to seven years in prison without an option of a fine for falsely posing as an auctioneer authorized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to sell forfeited properties.
Justice Nasiru Saminu handed down the sentence after finding Abdulrahman guilty of obtaining N35 million under false pretenses. The court ordered him to pay restitution of the same amount to his victim, failing which he would serve an additional seven-year prison term.
According to court records, Abdulrahman deceived Safiyanu Abdullahi of Tauraro and Property Limited into believing that he was an EFCC-approved auctioneer with the authority to sell a fenced, uncompleted building at Rijiyar Zaki, Kano. Based on this false claim, he fraudulently obtained N20 million from Abdullahi in June 2023.
One of the charges against him read “That you, Abdulrahman Bulama, on or about June 2023 in Kano, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N20,000,000 (Twenty Million Naira only) from one Safiyanu Abdullahi of Tauraro and Property Limited under the false pretense that you are an auctioneer and you had the consent and authority of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to auction a fenced uncompleted building at Rijiyar Zaki Kano, which pretence you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offenses Act, 2006.”
Although Abdulrahman pleaded not guilty to the charges, EFCC prosecutor Musa Isah presented three witnesses and substantial evidence against him. The defendant, who testified as the only witness in his defense, was convicted on one count, while the court acquitted him on another.
Following the conviction, the prosecution urged the court to impose the maximum penalty. The defense pleaded for leniency, citing that the defendant was a Ph.D. student at Nasarawa State University.
Justice Saminu, in delivering his judgment, said “The court finds the defendant guilty as charged. In view of the evidence before the court, he is hereby sentenced to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine. Furthermore, the convict must pay the sum of N35 million in restitution to his victim or serve an additional seven years in prison.”
Abdulrahman’s conviction is not his first encounter with the law. Investigations revealed that he was previously convicted by the same court on June 28, 2021, for a similar offense involving obtaining money by false pretenses.
His latest fraudulent act came to light when the EFCC received a petition from his victims, alleging that he had falsely claimed to be an auctioneer selling government-forfeited properties. In the process, he allegedly swindled them out of N35 million under the guise of selling a truck and an uncompleted building.
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