EFCC arraigns land racketeer over N7m fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday arraigned one Alhaji Ibrahim Kamba at an FCT High Court in Jabi over alleged N7 million fraud.

The Commission’s Prosecutor, Mrs Eunice Dalyop, told the court that the defendant was reported to EFCC through a written petition by one Mr Ali-Hudu Illiasu in May 2016.

Dalyop told the court that sometime in 2011 within the Abuja metropolis, the defendant collected N7 million from the complainant on agreement to sell a piece of land to him.

The prosecutor said that the piece of land in question, situated in Asokoro area of Abuja, was sold to the complainant.

She also said that the defendant had earlier sold the same land to another person before selling it to the complainant.

The defendant is being charged with collecting money under false pretence.

According to the prosecutor, the offence is in contravention of Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.

The prosecutor urged the court not to grant the defendant bail because he had jumped bail before.

She also prayed the court to take judicial notice of the warrant of arrest placed on the defendant before he was apprehended and to consider the gravity of the charge preferred on him.

“The defendant has jumped bail over a similar offence of fraud in two different courts; this kind of offence of 419 dents the image of the country.

“The court needs to consider public order and safety before considering any bail application; the defendant is in very good health, he is not sick.

“The defendant has the propensity to commit further offence if granted bail,’’ Dalyop said.

The prosecutor also said that there should be stringent conditions attached to such bail if the court was willing to grant bail.

The Defence Counsel, Mr Hassan Liman (SAN), however, prayed the court to grant his client bail on liberal terms.

Liman said that there was no evidence placed before the court that the prosecution issued a warrant of arrest before the defendant was arrested.

He also told the court that the health of the defendant was irrelevant in the matter and that no evidence before the court showed that the defendant was healthy.

“It is the discretion of the court to grant bail; the EFCC had earlier granted the defendant administrative bail.

“I, therefore, urged the court to grant the defendant bail in liberal terms,” Liman said.

Justice Halilu Yusuf, thereafter, granted bail to the defendant with two sureties who must be civil servants and must resident within the court’s jurisdiction.

The judge also ordered that one of the sureties must be a director and must present evidence of his letter of employment and last promotion to the court.

The judge adjourned hearing in the case until May 2 and May 3.