EFCC Arraigns Two for N29m Land Scam
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has arraigned the duo of Musa A Muhammed of Kano State Primary Education Board and Turadu Hamza Ahmed of Dantata Organisation Limited before Justice Yusuf Ubale of Kano State High Court on a 6-count charge bordering on Criminal Conspiracy and Obtaining Money under False Pretences.
The petitioner, Umar Sale had alleged that, sometime in August, 2014 he indicated interested in buying a plot of land measuring 75m/33m situated at IBB way, Kano which allegedly belongs to a renowned business mogul, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, Chairman of Dantata Organisation Limited.
He further alleged that he met the first accused person ( Muhammaed ), who claimed to have discussed the transaction with Dantata. He later informed the complainant that Dantata fixed the sum of Twenty Five Million Naira as the price for the said plot. He later claimed to have met another close associate of Dantata who succeeded in persuading the business mogul to review the price downward to Twenty Million Naira.
Having accepted the reduced price, Musa persuaded the complainant to pay the said sum into the account of a certain Mannir Bala Sani who, he claimed, was the Property and Investment Executive to Alhaji Dantata.
Another Nine Million Naira was also alleged to have been paid by the complainant to the first accused as commission as well as document processing fee with the Kano State Ministry of Land.
The complainant realised that he had been defrauded when all his efforts to collect the Deed of Assignment and related documents proved abortive.
Investigations later revealed that Bala Sani, the person parading himself as a property and Investment manager to Alhaji Dantata, is an imposter and the second accused in the charge, Ahmed Hamza. He was an employee of Dantata Organization Limited.
Count one reads “That you Musa A Muhammaed and Turadu Hamza Ahemd sometime in September 2014, within the Jurisdiction of the High Court of Justice, Kano conspired amongst yourselves to commit an offence, to wit obtain the sum of Twenty Million Naira (N20, 000,000.00) only contrary to Section 8 (a) and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006”.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Counsel to the EFCC A. T. Habib and B. M. Buhari told the court they were ready for trial as all witnesses were present in court. However, Justice Ubale granted bail to both accused persons in the sum of Two Hundred Thousand Naira only and two reliable sureties each in like sum. One of the sureties must be a senior Civil Servant not below the rank of Director, and the other a resident of Kano with a landed property worth N20 million (Twenty Million Naira) .
The case was adjourned to April 20, 2016 for trial.
Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
