Court remands Bureau de change operator over alleged N12.7m fraud

An FCT High Court in Kubwa, on Monday remanded one Bureau de change operator Nura Amadi for allegedly swindling a businessman of N12.7 million.

Amadi, whose address was not provided, is being tried for fraud by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The defendant, who had absent in court on several adjourned dates, was ordered by

Justice Kezziah Ogbonnaya to be remanded at an FCT correctional centre in the interest of justice.

Pleading by the Defence Counsel, Dandison Akurunwa, to allow the earlier bail condition granted to the defendant to subsist, was turned down by Justice Ogbonnaya.

Akurunwa told the court that he was appearing for the first time for the defendant and apologised to the court for the defendant’s absence to attend trial.

He said that Amadi’s absence was due to communication gaps between him and his former defence counsel.

Besides, Akurunwa told the court that Amadi had been ill.

Justice Ogbonnaya told Akurunwa that the court could not take judicial notice of him because he had not filed processes informing the court that he was appearing for the defendant.

Ogbonnaya said the defendant had been on the run and a bench warrant was issued on him.

He said efforts to reach Amadi proved abortive and his sureties had also absconded.

She, however, adjourned the matter until Sept.21 in the interest of justice and also for Akurunwa to regularise his processes before the court.

The Prosecutor, Yetunde Alabi had told the court that the defendant allegedly introduced himself as a registered Bureau de change operator to one businessman, Alhaji Garba Ibrahim.

Alabi said Ibrahim, who was to travel to the United Arab Emirate in 2015, needed 60,000 United States dollars for the trip.

The prosecutor said Ibrahim paid N12.7 million to the defendant for the foreign currency but the defendant allegedly failed to honour the agreement.

He told the court that when Ibrahim asked for his money, the defendant allegedly returned N3.6 million to Ibrahim instead.