EFCC arraigns man for N30m fraud

Bimbo Babatunde

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, October 18, 2021 arraigned one Alhaji Haruna Husseini before Justice A. S. Adepoju of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Wuse, Abuja, on two counts bordering on obtaining by false pretence and breach of trust to the tune of N30m (thirty million naira).

According to a statement issued by Head, EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, on Monday, the defendant falsely presented himself as the owner of a property located at Plot No. 167 Katempe District, Abuja, and fraudulently sold the property to one Vincent Mshelia for N30m.

One of the counts read: “That you, Alhaji Haruna Husseini, ‘m’ sometime in September 2013 in Abuja, within the judicial division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, with intend to defraud and under false pretence, that you are the owner of a property located at Plot No. 167 Katampe District, Abuja, fraudulently sold the said property to one Vincent Mshelia and obtained the sum of thirty million naira (N30,000,000.00) from the said Vincent Mshelia and his agents and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.”

Count two reads: “That you Alhaji Haruna Husseini ‘m’ sometime in September 2013 in Abuja, within the judicial division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, while being entrusted by one Ibrahim Baba Chaichai with dominion over certain property to wit: Certificate of Occupancy registered as No. 16692 at Page 16692 in Volume 83 of the Register of Land, covering a landed property located at Plot NO. 167 Katampe District, dishonestly used the said Certificate of Occupancy and sold the landed property to one Vincent Mshelia at the cost of thirty million naira (30,000,000.00) and converted the money to your own use; and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 311 and punishable under Section 312 of the Panel Code Law (Cap 89 Laws of Northern Nigeria 1963).”

Upon his “not guilty” plea, counsel to the EFCC, M. I. Buba, asked for a short adjournment to enable the prosecution commence trial in the matter, while the defendant is remanded in the custody of the Correctional Service.

Counsel to the defendant, Nkechukwu Odanwu, informed the court of a pending bail application and urged the court to grant his client bail on health grounds. Justice Adepoju ordered the remand of the defendant in the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Kuje, and adjourned the case till November 2, 2021, for hearing of the bail application.