EFCC arraigns two men for land, romance scam in Kaduna

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a Kaduna-based man, Munkai’la Abubakar, on seven counts bordering on obtaining by false pretence and forgery.

EFCC, in a statement on Tuesday, said Abubakar was charged before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court, alleging that in January 2018, he sold four plots of land to one Umar Iskil for N4,800,000 using false title documents.

“That you, Munka’ilu Abubakar, sometime in January 2018 at Kaduna within the Judicial Division of the High Court of Justice of Kaduna State with the intent to defraud, forged a document titled “TAKARDAN YARJENIYAN SAYAR DA PLOT KO GIDA DAKE DANBUSHIYA KADUNA” in respect of plot situate at Millennium City, Danbushiya Kaduna, purportedly issued by Abubakar Mamadi, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 344 and punishable under Section 345 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017,” one of the charges reads.

Abubakar, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges. Consequently, the prosecution counsel, N. Salele, applied for a date for trial to commence and urged the court to remand the defendant.

The defence counsel, Yunus O. Olakulehin, urged the court to admit the defendant to bail.

Justice Khobo adjourned the case till Wednesday, May 10, 2023, for hearing the defendant’s motion for bail and remanding the defendant in the Nigeria Correctional Centre.

Similarly, the commission also arraigned one Joseph Victor Ndubuka before Justice Khobo on a two-count charge bordering on a romance scam and non-disclosure of assets.

According to EFCC, Ndubuka allegedly used the false identity of a Caucasian gay to defraud unsuspecting victims of their hard-earned money.

“That you, Victor Joseph Ndubuka “m” sometime in March 2023, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, knowingly failed to make full disclosure of your assets by deliberately refusing to declare your cryptocurrency and Non Fungible Token (NTF) all worth about twenty-eight thousand dollars in the Disclosure of Assets and Liabilities Form, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27(3) (a) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004, and punishable under Section 27 (3) of the same Act,” one of the counts reads.

Ndubuka pleaded not guilty to the charges. The prosecuting counsel, Precious C. Onyeneho, urged the court to fix a date for a hearing of the matter, while the defence counsel, A.I Hamza, urged the court to admit his client to bail.

Justice Darius, however, adjourned the case till Monday, May 3 for a hearing of his bail application and ordered the defendant remanded at the Correctional Centre.