Police arraign couple over alleged N5.2m contract scam

A businessman, Hussaini Shehu, and his wife, Farida Idris, were docked at a Wuse Zone 6 Chief Magistrates’ Court, Abuja, on Thursday.

They are facing a four-count charge of conspiracy, impersonation, criminal breach of trust and cheating in a N5.2 million contract scam.

Prosecuting ASP Fidelis Ogbobe told the court that the complainant, Halima Gambo, resident in Abuja, reported the matter at the Police Area Commander’s office, Metro-Maitama, Abuja.

Ogbobe said that Shehu, who had earlier been arraigned in the same court for alleged possession of counterfeit foreign currencies, conspired with his wife, Farida and two others still at large to defraud the complainant.

He told the court that Shehu and Farida conspired and deceived Gambo into transferring N5.2million into Farida’s bank account for a contract they would facilitate for her at the Kaduna State Procurement Board.

He added that efforts by Gambo to get her money back after it was discovered that the said contract was a scam, had proved abortive.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened the provisions of the Penal Code.

Having listened to the charge, the defendants pleaded not guilty.

Their defence counsel, Etta Effiong, applied for their bail in the most liberal terms, citing provisions of the 1999 Constitution and sections of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, to support his application.

Objecting to the bail application, ASP Ogbobe said the defendants had earlier escaped from police administrative bail.

Presiding Chief Magistrate Fatima Ibrahim, however, granted Shehu and Farida bail in the sum of N500,000 each and two reasonable sureties in like sum.

She ruled that the sureties must be residents within the court’s jurisdiction and the defendants must deposit their passports with the court registrar.

Ibrahim adjourned the matter to Oct. 20, for hearing.