The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday,
November 28,2019 arraigned the quartet of Baba Aliyu, Musa Shuaibu,
Joshua Agbaji Unazi and Michael Godwin Okibe before Justice A.B.Aliyu of
the Federal High Court, Minna, Niger State on a nine-count charge that
borders on conspiracy, forgery and criminal breach of trust to the tune
of N22.2million.
The defendants were arrested and arraigned by the Kaduna Zonal Office of
the Commission following a petition from one Thomas Ogwu, managing
director, Tomgray Engineering Services Limited, who alleged that three
of the defendants: Aliyu, Shuaibu, Unazi and Ahmed Abubakar Ismaila(at
large),
sometime in November 2018 fraudulently convinced him that they work with
the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development Staff Multi-purpose
Cooperative Society Limited, Minna, Niger State and requested for a
supply of 1,800 bags of Nigerian parboiled rice, worth N30.6million from
his company.
He stated that the defendants paid N8.2million only, upon the supply of
the said quantity of rice, adding that since then, all his efforts to
get them pay the balance of N22.4million have proved abortive.
This, he said, forced him to approach the ministry with a request for
the payment of the balance where he was told that the four defendants
were not its staff and that it did not place any order for rice.
One of the count reads: that you Baba Aliyu, Musa Shuaibu and Ismaila
Abubakar (now at large) between November and December 2018 in Minna,
within the judicial division of this honourable court did conspire
amongst yourselves to act, to wit: conspiracy to obtain 859 bags of
Nigeria parboiled rice worth N14.6million only being property of Tomgray
Engineering Services Limited, when you falsely represented yourselves as
staff and members of Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development
staff Multi-purpose Cooperative Society, Minna, which pretence you knew
to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(a) of
the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and
punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”
Unazi is alleged to have conspired with Okibe to obtain N1.620,000 (One
Million, Six Hundred and Sixty-two Thousand Naira) being proceed from
the sale of the 1,800 bags of rice
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge against them, prompting
prosecuting counsel Y.J.Matiyak to ask the court for a trial date and
for the defendants to be remanded in custody of Nigerian Correctional
Service (NCS).
Counsels to the four defendants: E.N.Anita, Drisu Ajodo and G.E.Edah
respectively, prayed the court to grant bail to their clients.
Additionally, counsel to the second defendant (Shuaibu) told the court
that he has filed an application for fundamental human rights abuse,
seeking N5million damages for an alleged illegal arrest of his client.
Justice Aliyu adjourned the matter until December 10, 2019 and January
21, 2020 for hearing on the bail application and judgment on the
fundamental rights action respectively and ordered that the defendants
be remanded in the custody of NCS.
