The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Kaduna Zonal Office on January 16, 2019 closed it case in the ongoing trial of Joseph Ibrahim, who is standing trial before Justice Mohammed Tukur of Federal High Court, Kaduna, for a three-count charge bordering on forgery and obtaining money by false pretence.
One of the counts against him reads: “That you, Joseph Ibrahim, sometime in November 2017 at Kaduna within the judicial Division of the High Court fraudulently used as genuine, a forged document titled, ‘Kaduna State Nigeria; Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) No.13042’ by presenting same to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC when you knew or had reasons to believe that it is forged and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 347 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 345 of the same Law”.
He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.
At the resumed hearing today, January 16, 2019 prosecuting counsel, Onyeka Ekweozor, presented two witnesses, Yusuf Muawiyah, Registrar Deeds, in the Kaduna State Geographical Information System, KADGIS, and Ibrahim Rabiu, a farmer.
Muawiyah told the court that the EFCC contacted the KADGIS on the case.
He said: “On 6th November, 2017 KADGIS received a letter from the EFCC attached with Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) requesting us to authenticate the genuineness or otherwise of the said document.
“We examined the CofO and found it was fake, and we wrote back to EFCC on our findings”.
Rabiu, while being led in evidence, told the court that: “I knew the defendant sometime in 2017 while I was standing in front of the Federal High Court here in Kaduna to help one of our brothers who was in prison in respect of an ongoing trial in the said court.
“The defendant approached us and told us that he’s capable of facilitating the release of our brother from prison if we could agree to his terms. He demanded for the sum of N90,000 but we gave him N85,000.
“After giving him the money, he did not do anything, he kept giving us excuses that the court was on vacation or the judge was not around.
“We now decided to come to Kaduna and later found out that he has been telling us lies as he just received our money and absconded.
“We called his mobile phone, but his wife picked and informed us that the defendant was in EFCC custody.
“We came to the EFCC and met the defendant where he confessed in the presence of the operatives to collecting the said amount.”
Ekweozor, then informed the court that with the last witness, the prosecution was closing its case.
Justice Tukur thereafter adjourned to February 27, 2019 for defence to open its case.