By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court sitting in Kaduna has convicted one Alhaji Ahmadu Abdullahi for criminal breach of trust to the tune of N3,308,500.
The convict was arraigned September 26, 2018 on one count charge by the Kaduna zone of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The convict was said to have defrauded one Chigbo Nwafor, the owner of Nwafor & Sons Nigeria Limited, of the said sum under the guise of helping the victim purchase some bags of salt, to which he defaulted after collecting the money.
The count reads: “That you, Alhaji Ahmadu Abdullahi, sometime in 2016 in Zaria within the Kaduna Judicial Division of the High Court being entrusted with property to wit: N3,308,500 (Three Million, Three Hundred and Eight Thousand, Five Hundred Naira Only) by one Nwafor and Sons Nigeria Limited for the purchase of some bags/trucks of salt, did dishonestly convert to your own use in violation of Legal Contract which you made in regard to the said sum and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 311 of the Penal Code Law of Kaduna State and punishable under Section 312 of the same Law.”
After hearing the charge preferred against him, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the one count charge, hence the commencement of his trial.
In the course of the trial, the EFCC called five witnesses and tendered various exhibits.
At the end of the trial, the court found Abdullahi guilty of the offence of criminal breach of trust.
Consequently, Justice Khobo sentenced him to four years imprisonment with an option of N100,000.
In addition, the judge ordered the convict to pay the victim the sum of N3,308,500 as restitution through EFCC or risk six months jail.
In a similar development, Justice Tukur Mohammed of the State High Court sitting in Kaduna on Friday, convicted and sentenced one Aliyu Shuaibu Mohammed also known as Bala Mohammed Adamu over offences bordering on impersonation, forgery and obtaining money by false pretence.
Aliyu was charged on one count by the EFCC, the prosecutor.
The convict was fraudulently parading as a barrister and in that capacity, defrauding unsuspecting victims under the pretext of rendering legal services to them.
According to the prosecution (EFCC) the offence contravenes Section 142(1), 345 and 349 of the Penal Code Law of Kaduna State, 2017 and punishable under Section 142(1), 345 and 349 of the same Law.
After diligent prosecution of the case by the Anti-graft agency, Justice Tukur found the defendant guilty and convicted him to pay a fine of N150,000 only.
In a related development, Justice Tukur Mohammed has convicted and sentenced one Godwin Endurance Edeniyere to six months imprisonment without an option of fine.
The convict was said to have cloned Facebook accounts of prominent citizens and swindled them of various sums of money.
He was charged on one count of cheating by impersonation contrary to Section 308 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.