EFCC arraigns former Sokoto court registrar for N3.8m fraud

Glory Ebomah

The Sokoto Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, May 8, 2024 arraigned a former court Registrar, Abubakar Garba Dandare before Justice Bello Muhammad Shinkafi of the Zamfara State High Court for allegedly stealing the sum of N3,837,634 (Three Million Eight Hundred and Thirty-Seven thousand Six Hundred and Thirty-Four Naira).

Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Dele Oyewale said, the Dandare was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust while being the Registrar Upper Sharia Court 1 Gusau, Zamfara State.

Count one read: “That you Abubakar Garba Dandare Male Adult while being the Registrar Upper Sharia Court 1, Gusau Zamfara State,  on or about the 4th day of December 2010, at Gusau within the Judicial Division of the High Court of Zamfara State, while, being entrusted with the sum of N3.837,634 (Three Million Eight Hundred and Thirty-four naira) retention fee paid by Ministry of Finance Zamfara State for the family of late Alhaji Ladan Mada, did dishonestly misappropriated the money to your personal use in violation of the mode in which the trust is to be discharged and thereby committed the offence of Criminal Breach of Trust contrary to Section 311of the Penal Code Cap 89 Laws of Northern Nigeria 1963 and punishable under Section 312 of the same Law.”

Before taking his plea, defence counsel Bello Umar drew the attention of the court that the charge under which the suspect is being arraigned is defective; but prosecution counsel, P.A Attah cited the Court of Appeal’s decisions along with the ACJA 2015 to counter the statement.

Justice Mohammad Shinkafi granted the accused bail in the sum of N5 million and two sureties in like sum. The judge equally directed that one of the sureties must deposit a certificate of landed property within Gusau metropolis while both sureties must deposit their passport photographs with the court.  The judge ruled that the defendant be remanded in a Correctional centre pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions and adjourned the matter to June 6, 2024, for mention.

Dandare was arrested based on the claims of a petitioner who alleged that the defendant diverted the money paid to his late father by the Zamfara State Government for the construction of two students’ hostels at Government College Talata Mafara. Dandare was the Registrar of the Upper Sharia Court 1, Gusau then.

Investigations by the court showed that Dandare collected the money but failed to pay it to the petitioner.