EFCC Docks Man for N10m Fraud
Taiwo Owoeye
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday arraigned one Mohammed Sambo before Justice M. M Kolo of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Wuse, Abuja on one count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence.
Sambo was alleged to have fraudulently obtained the sum of N10million (ten million naira) from one Abdulmalik Bello, CEO, Sunbeam International Company purportedly to facilitate a contract for construction of Zurmi Stores Mayasa Birnin Tungar Fulani Mashema Road, Zamfara State.
He further promised Bello that, when documentation is completed, the contract would be sold and proceeds shared at 60-40 percent in favour of the complainant (Bello).
The accused eventually failed to deliver on his promise and all efforts of the complainant to recover his money yielded no result.
Particulars of the charge read:
“Mohammed Sambo (GM Sabaiba Nig Ltd) sometime in April, 2012 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud by false pretences obtained the sum of N10,000,000 (ten million naira only from one Abdulmalik Bello (Ideal Sunbeam International) purportedly for facilitating a contract for the construction of a road described as Zurmi Stores Mayasa Birnin Tungar Fulani Mashema Road, Zamfara State: a pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(1) (a) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other Fraud related offences Act, 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act.
The defendant pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him.
In view of his plea, counsel to EFCC, Johnson Ojogbane urged the court to fix a date for the commencement of trial.
However, the defence counsel, Kanayo Okafor, told the court that, he had a pending application for the bail of the accused and prayed that his client be admitted to bail given the fact that, he had been in custody for five days.
Justice Kolo adjourned to May 17, 2016 for hearing on the bail application and ordered the accused to be remanded in prison custody.