Court jails man for theft in Kaduna

Justice A. Isiaka of the Kaduna State High Court has convicted and sentenced one Yusuf Umar Salisu to prison for fraud.

He was prosecuted by the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on a one-count charge bordering on cheating, theft and unauthorised withdrawal to the tune of N1,000,000( One Million Naira only).

His charge reads: “That you Yusuf Umar Salisu (M) on or about 23rd October 2023, while operating in the name and style of Yusuf POS and Engine Oil, at Maraban Jos, Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, deceived one Musa Mujittafa through his Point of Sale machine (POS) to collect the total sum of N1,000,000.00 (One Million Naira) from him, which you dishonestly refused to pay back, and thereby committed cheating, an offence contrary to Section 306 (a) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law of 2017 and punishable under Section 307 of the same Law.”

He pleaded “guilty” when the charge was read to him, prompting prosecution counsel, M.E Eimonye to urge the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.

Justice Isiaka thereafter convicted and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment or to pay a fine of N200,000.00 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira). In addition to his sentence, he is to restitute the sum of One Million Naira (N 1,000,000.00) to his victim. The journey to the Correctional Centre began for Salisu when he posed as a customer at his victim’s PoS shop and fraudulently swapped his PoS machine with a similar one he came with.  Upon distracting his victim, he transferred the sum of One Million Naira (N 1,000,000.00) from his account to a Money Point and Opay account in instalments and refused to return the money to his victim after his fraud was discovered.