Justice Abdullahi Yusuf of Katsina State High Court, has convicted and sentenced one Nasiru Yahaya Gusau (alias Nasiru Succer) of the Ministry of Finance, Gusau, Zamfara state to 29 years imprisonment on a 9-count charge bordering on forgery and criminal breach of trust preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC
Yahaya, a serial fraudster, was alleged to have diverted seven truck-load of fertilizer (4, 200 bags of fertilizer) meant to be delivered at Yola, Adamawa state to own use.
When the charge was read to him, he entered a not-guilty plea.
Count one of the charges read, “That you Nasiru Yahaya ‘M’ on or about the 14th day of March, 2011 at Funtua within the Judicial Division of the High court of Justice Katsina state being entrusted with certain property, to wit; 1, 800 bags of fertilizer worth the sum of Nine Million Naira only (N9, 000, 000.00) by Ibrahim Dogo, did commit criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 311 of the Penal Code”.
In his Judgment, Justice Yusuf stated that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and found the accused person guilty of all the nine count charges, and therefore sentenced him to 4 years each on counts 1 and 2 and a fine of N1m; and 3 years each on counts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.
The convict is also due to be arraigned on another charge bordering on fraud by the EFCC. He was served with the fresh information, moments after he was convicted by Justice Yusuf.
It will be recalled that the EFCC is challenging the acquittal of the convict by Justice Bello Muhammed of Zamfara State High Court in another matter where he was docked for alleged diversion of 36 trucks loaded with fertilizer worth N68,000,000 (sixty eight million naira) for personal use.
