EFCC Arraigns Six for theft of N5.5m Rice
Olatomiwa Ajigi
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC today arraigned one Ibrahim Rabiu and five others before Justice M. Shittu of the Federal High Court Bauchi on three counts of conspiracy, diversion and conversion of good and receipt of stolen property.
The others are Zakari Isa, Nura Garba, Muhammad wada Ibrahim, Ibrahim Rabiu and one Babawo (now at large). They were arrested by operatives of the Commission in Bauchi and Jos following a petition by one Alhaji Umaru Sabo.
The petitioner alleged that on 28 September, 2015 one of the defendants, Nura Garba pretending to be a truck driver, convinced the petitioner to give him a truck load of 600 bags of rice worth N5, 520,000.00 to be delivered from Lagos to Suleja, Niger state. But the accused and his accomplices diverted the goods to Bauchi, where they sold the consignment and converted the proceeds to their personal use.
. Count two of the charge reads, “That you, Zakari isa Yau, Nura Garba, Muhammad Wada Ibrahim, Ibrahim Rabiu (aka Muhammad), and Babawo (now at large) sometimes in September, 2015 at Bauchi, Bauchi State, within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did obtain goods six hundred bags of rice worth Five million six hundred and ten thousand naira (N5,610,000.00) under the false pretence that, the said goods (rice) would be conveyed from Lagos State to Suleja, Niger state and to be delivered to one Alhaji saidu Usman Achida which you never did instead diverted same to Bauchi State for your own use and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 (1).(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under section 1 (3) of the same Act”.
All the suspects pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Justice Shittu granted bail to the accused persons and adjourned the case to 28thMarch, 2017 for trial.
