The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has taken legal action by arraigning two bankers and two other individuals in Kano. They face charges of conspiracy and stealing related to a case involving the alleged theft of N20 million. The EFCC, as a leading anti-corruption agency in Nigeria, is committed to combating financial crimes and ensuring justice.
In an official statement released on Tuesday, the EFCC revealed that the defendants, namely Freeman Austin Jacob and Umar Abdullahi, along with Ahmed Bashir and Abdulhakim Musa (aka Gandu), were presented before Justice Simon Akpah Amobeda of the Federal High Court in Kano. The charges brought against them involve the production and use of an ATM card issued under the name of Alhaji Sani Muntari to steal the aforementioned sum from his bank account.
The EFCC’s investigation uncovered that the defendants collaborated to carry out this fraudulent act. Bashir, the third defendant, allegedly stole the account holder’s SIM card, which was then utilized by the first and second defendants to produce the illicit ATM card. Further inquiry into the matter revealed that a portion of the stolen funds was traced to the bank account of Abdulkarim Musa, the fourth defendant, who happens to be a friend of Ahmed Bashir, the third defendant.
One of the charges brought against the defendants states, “That You, Freeman Austin Jacob, Umar Abdullahi, sometime in February 2020, at Kano within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, connived with Ahmed Bashir and Abdulhakim Musa (aka Gandu) to prime and issue ATM card from UBA account no 2062903187 belonging to one Alhaji Sani Mutari without the knowledge or consent of the said customer and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 14 (7) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc,) Act, 2015.”
Upon hearing the charges, all the defendants pleaded not guilty. The prosecution counsel, Aisha Tahar Habib, requested the court to remand the defendants and schedule a date for the trial’s commencement. In response, the counsel representing the first and second defendants made an oral bail application, which the prosecution counsel opposed, stating that the application should be formal.
After considering the arguments presented by both parties, Justice Amobeda concurred with the prosecution’s stance, emphasizing the necessity of formal bail applications as the court is a court of record. Consequently, the defendants were remanded, and the case was adjourned until June 26, 2023, for the hearing of bail applications and the commencement of the trial.