The Kano Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC), on Tuesday, November 12, 2019 arraigned the duo of Ado Shehu and
Ali Muhammad before Justice Amina .A. Aliyu of the Kano State High Court
on a three-count charge, bordering on theft and receipt of
gratification.
The complainant, Sanusi Yakubu in a petition, had alleged that one
Williams Aondo (now late), who was a staff of Skye Bank, conspired with
Shehu and Muhammad, both of whom are staff of Sharia Court, Kano State
and instituted a civil action, claiming that he (the complainant) was
late, after they noticed inactivity on his account for a few years, not
knowing that he was alive and well in Saudi Arabia.
The petitioner also alleged that the court, acting upon the information
presented before it by the said Shehu and Muhammad, ordered his account
to be closed and that the sum of N1,255,728.00 (One Million, Two Hundred
and Fifty-five Thousand, Seven Hundred and Twenty-eight Naira) that was
in the account be remitted to the court for distribution to his heirs.
Count one of the charge reads: ”That you Ado Shehu, Ali Muhammad and
Abba Sanusi, (now at large), sometime in December, 2017 at Kano, Kano
State, within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, conspired among
yourselves to do an illegal act to wit: conspiracy to commit theft
against one Sanusi Yakubu and thereby committed an offence contrary to
Section 96(1)(a) and punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code Law
(1987).”
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. In view
of their plea, prosecution counsel, Zarami Mohammed asked the court for
a trial date and for the defendants to be remanded in the custody of
Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS).
Defence counsel Rabiu Sani, however, made an oral application of bail
for the defendants, which Justice Amina A. Aliyu granted.
He admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N100,000 each and two
sureties in like sum. One of the sureties must be a staff of the
judiciary, not less than Grade Level 12 and the other must also be a
judiciary staff, and ordered that they be remanded in the custody of NCS
pending the fulfillment of their bail conditions.
The case was adjourned to November 14, 2019 for hearing.