The Kaduna Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday arraigned one Abubakar Umar Baba before Justices Darius Khobo and Mohammed Tukur, respectively of the State High Court, Kaduna for double land fraud.
A statement by Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC spokesperson stated that Baba was arraigned before Justice Khobo on a two-count charge of criminal breach of trust, involving N3.3million land scam, to which he pleaded “not guilty.”
Following his plea, EFCC counsel, P.C. Onyeneho asked the court for a commencement date of trial and for him to be remanded in the custody of Nigerian Correctional Services (NCS), while the defence counsel, Abu Usman informed the court of his bail application on behalf of the defendant and urged the court to grant him bail to enable him to prepare for his trial.
Justice Khobo granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N2 million with one surety in like sum, who must be resident within Kaduna metropolis and must be a real estate owner with Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) to be verified by the court and the EFCC. He adjourned the matter till February 18, 2021.
Trouble started for the defendant after he sold land, measuring 524.56cm, situated on Plot No.95 Road ‘P,’ Millennium Housing Layout, Kaduna that did not belong to him at the cost of N3.3million, and resisted all efforts to refund the money to his victim.
In Justice Tukur’s court, he was arraigned on a one-count charge of criminal breach of trust, involving N8 million (Eight Million Naira) land fraud, to which he also pleaded “not guilty.”
The complainant in the matter, Maui and Tessy Peterx Ndasule alleged that she bought a piece of land, located on Plot 52/54, Egypt Road, Barnawa Kaduna at the sum of N8million from the defendant, sometime in April 2018, and paid in three instalments to his corporate account.
Again, the defendant turned out not to be a genuine custodian of the land, yet resisted all efforts by his victim to make him refund the money paid.
The one-count charge read, “That you Abubakar Umar Baba, managing director of Nagan Integrated Services Limited, (a limited liability company) sometime in April 2018 in Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N8 million from Mr. and Mrs. Maui Peterx Ndasule under the false pretence that you are the custodian of Plot 52/54 Egypt, Road, Barnawa Kaduna State, a claim you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offence Act, 2006 and punishable under section 1(3)of the same Act.”
His “not guilty” plea prompted EFCC counsel, P.C Onyeneho to ask the court for a commencement date of trial and for him to be remanded in the custody of NCS, while the defence counsel applied for his bail.
Justice Tukur admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N5 million with one surety in like sum, who must have evidence of three years tax payment.
He adjourned the matter till February 24, 2021, and ordered that the defendant be remanded in NCS’s custody till the perfection of his bail terms.
