Court Jails Three Fraudsters For N17.6m Fraud In Maiduguri
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, April 22, 2024, secured the conviction and sentencing of three fraudsters before Justice Umaru Fadawu of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri.
According to the anti-graft agency, the convicts are Mohammed Dogo, Babagoni Mustapha Ali, and Dookenger Odey Takon.
Dogo and Ali were arraigned on April 8, 2024, on one-count separate charge bordering on criminal misappropriation to the tune of N6,360,422.00 (Six Million Three Hundred and Sixty Thousand, Four Hundred and Twenty-Two Naira).
Takon , on the other hand, was arraigned on September 24, 2020, on a four-count charge bordering on cheating, obtaining by false pretence, forgery, and criminal misappropriation to the tune of N11, 300,000.00 (Eleven Million, Three Hundred Thousand Naira).
The charge against Dogo read: "That you Mohammed Dogo, between 2012 to 2018 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly misappropriated the entire sum of N1,660,422.94 (One Million, Six Hundred and Sixty Thousand, Four Hundred and Twenty-Two Naira, Ninety Four Kobo), where you opened an Account Number; 1015975677 with an Account Name; Audu Umar Abdullahi (now deceased) without the consent of his legal heirs for your personal use and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of Penal Code Cap. 102 Laws of Borno State of Nigeria and Punishable under Section 309 of the same Law.”
The charge against Takon read: "That you Dookenger Odey Takon whilst being a Director of X-Traodinaire Designs Ltd. And X-Traodinaire Designs Ltd. sometime in September 2018 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N10, 500,000.00 (Ten Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) only from Abatcha Ana's under the false pretence that the sum represent payment for the execution of a purported contract of constructing a Mopol container and store awarded to X-Traodinaire Designs Ltd. By a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), International Organization for Migration (I.O.M) which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and Punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act."
The two defendants pleaded “guilty” to their separate counts while Takon pleaded “not guilty” and the matter proceeded to trial.
Counsel to the prosecution Muhktar Ali Ahmed, Faruqu Muhammad, and Aliyu D. Abdulmalik presented four witnesses and tendered several documents as exhibits before the court.
Justice Fadawu thereafter convicted them as charged and sentenced Dogo to one-year imprisonment without an option of fine.
Ali was sentenced to one-year imprisonment with an option of N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) fine. The Judge further ordered the convict to restitute the sum of N1.9m to his victim and in default to serve a three-year jail term.
After that, Justice Fadawu convicted and sentenced Takon to seven years imprisonment for the offence of obtaining by false pretence without an option of fine.
In the same vein, the court sentenced Takon for cheating to one-year imprisonment with an option of N100,000 while X-Traodinaire Designs Ltd shall pay a fine of N100,000.
For the offence of using a forged document, she was jailed to a year imprisonment with an option of N400,000 while the judge awarded a four-year jail term for criminal misappropriation with the option of N400,000 as a fine.
The Judge ordered Takon to pay the sum of N11.3m to her victim; in default, she should serve a five-year jail term. The prison terms shall run concurrently while in default of the restitution, the five years imprisonment should run consecutively according to the judge.
The three convicts bagged their imprisonment when they were arrested for various offences ranging from misappropriation, cheating, forgery to obtaining under false pretence. They were charged to court and convicted.
[20:03, 24/04/2024] Damilare Adeleye: EFCC Hands Over 14 Forfeited Properties to Enugu State Govt
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has, on Wednesday, handed over 14 properties initially forfeited to the Federal government and now ceded to the government and people of Enugu State.
The transfer of the properties to Enugu State governor, Dr Peter Mba was performed by the Executive Chairman of EFCC, Mr Ola Olukoyede at the corporate headquarters of the Commission.
Speaking before the brief handover ceremony, Olukoyede who disclosed that the road to the forfeiture dated back to 2007, stated that event spoke of the mutually beneficial relationship existing between the federal government and states.
“What we are witnessing today testifies to a symbiotic relationship that should exist between the federal government and the state governments. The essence of our meeting here today is for us to handover properties that were forfeited to the federal government, which of course belong to Enugu State people back to the people. It shows that governance can work in Nigeria. Our people deserve the benefits of good governance and that is what is being evidenced here today.
Speaking further, he said, “If you look at the history of this particular matter, it takes us back to 2007 when we started the prosecution. So we are looking at about 17 years since the matter has been on.
Eventually some of the properties were forfeited and since then, the EFCC has been managing those properties even though the titles of quite a number of the properties have been revoked by the Enugu State government. What we are witnessing here today is the official handing over of the properties to the people of Enugu State through His Excellency, Dr Peter Mba,” Olukoyede said.
Earlier in his remarks, Governor Ubah expressed gratitude for the handover and thanked the EFCC chair and the Commission for ensuring that the people of his state reclaimed their common patrimony.
“I would like to express my profound gratitude for the event we are witnessing today. The importance and significance of this event can never be lost on us and we do not also take it for granted. So I want to take this opportunity to convey my profound gratitude and deep appreciation to the chairman and members of the EFCC team that have brought us to where we are today.
This is a journey that began several years ago and we are marking a formal closure to that journey here today. A journey that saw the successful prosecution of certain companies in possession of assets belonging to the people of Enugu State".
The governor who noted that the properties were forfeited not to his state but to the federal government expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for making it possible for them to be returned to the government and people of Enugu State.
“Those assets were forfeited to the federal government. And this brings me to another gratitude that I want to convey here today. I want to acknowledge and recognize the important role played by the President, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Without the proactiveness and speed at which he acted on our request to cede these assets back to the people and government of Enugu State, we wouldn’t have been here today. So I want to thank him most sincerely for granting our request for these assets that were forfeited to the federal government to be ceded back to Enugu State.
He lauded Olukoyede’s initiatives at making the EFCC a strong institution and cautioned against attempts by some individuals to distract the Commission. “I will not end this remark without acknowledging the work the EFCC chairman is doing in strengthening this very important institution. It is important that we do not weaken our institutions. Whatever we do in governance is transient. So I want to commend him for the efforts he is making in ensuring that this very important institution, the EFCC is strengthened. Thank you very much for all the great work you and your team are doing and particularly for the effort that you have put in to make today a reality,” the governor stated.
The properties comprise houses, transmission equipment for radio and television stations, a building for medical operations, among others.