Justice Umaru Fadawu of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri has sentenced the quartet of Allen Abel, Jerry Shugaba, Ramat Bukar and Buba Hamidu to various jail terms on separate charges.
The convicts were brought to court by the Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on charges bordering on obtaining by false pretence, personation and cheating to the tune of Five Million Three Hundred and Eighty Three Thousand Naira (N5.383, 000.00).
Allen Abel was said to have sometime in April, 2020 in Maiduguri Borno State, within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court fraudulently induced one Alhassan Sanusi to deliver to him 100 bags of sugar at the cost of Sixteen Thousand Naira (N16,000.00) each in the gross value of One Million Six Hundred Thousand Naira (N1,600,000.00) under false pretence of executing a purported contract awarded by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs Disaster Management and Social Development.
When of fact he knew that it was false thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under sections 1(1) (b) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 respectively.
While Jerry Shugaba was said to have sometime in June, 2019 in Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, dishonestly induced Daniel Madu to deliver to him the sum of N2, 650 000.00 (Two Million Six Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) under the guise of executing a contract for the supply of Dignity Kits purportedly awarded to you by Norwegian Church Aid, a Non–Governmental Organisation with No: MDG-107-03-202 .
He thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 (a) and punishable under Section 322 of the Penal Code Cap 102 Laws of Borno State.
For Ramat Bukar he also sometime in 2019 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, fraudulently induced one Ishaku Inuwa of Polo Area Maiduguri, to deliver to him the total sum of N18,000.00 (Eighteen Thousand Naira) only as payment for registration fees of 2019/2020 SSCE (Senior School Certificate Examination ) in favour of his Sister Abugail Waba which he failed to discharge .
He not only failed to discharge the obligation but refused to refund the entire sum that was delivered to him. He thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under sections 320 and 322 of the Penal Code Laws of Borno State Cap.102 Vol. 3 of 1994 respectively.
While Buba Hamidu sometime in February, 2021 or thereabout in Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court dishonestly induced one Zainab Lawan Gana to cause the sum of Three Hundred Thousand Naira (N300,000.00) only to be delivered to him in the guise of securing jobs for her siblings at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital .
He thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Sections 320 and 322 of the Penal Code Laws of Borno State respectively.
The defendants in court pleaded ‘guilty’ when the charges were read to them.
Counsel for the prosecution, Haruna Abdulkadir, prayed the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
Justice Umaru in his separate Judgment, sentenced Allen Abel to seven years imprisonment for the offence of obtaining money by false pretence without option of fine, and one year imprisonment with an option of fifty thousand naira fine for personation.
The court ordered the convict to restitute the sum of N1.6m to his victim.
The court also sentenced Shugaba to one year imprisonment with an option of One Hundred Thousand Naira fine. The defendant was ordered to pay his victim the sum of Two Million Naira and in default, serve five years prison.
Bukar and Hamidu, bag one year with an option of Five Hundred Thousand Naira fine each. They were ordered to restitute their victims by the Judge.