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| The suspects |
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Gombe Zonal Office has secured the conviction of one Adamu Mohammed Mudi. He was convicted by Justice Sa’ad Mohammad of the Gombe State High, sitting in Gombe, on a one-count charge bordering on cheating and possession of forged document.
Mudi was arraigned on May 17, 2019 for cheating, and possession of counterfeit seal to commit forgery, which was reported to the Commission sometime in July 2016.
Investigation revealed that Mudi, sometimes in July 2016 at Gombe, fraudulently used as genuine, forged National Examination Council, NECO result bearing his name Adamu Mohammed Mudi, purported to have emanated from Government Comprehensive Day Secondary School, Gombe with Candidate No. 59016618HF and Certificate No. 600146350.
He intended same to be dishonestly used as genuine for the staff verification committee constituted by Gombe State Government.
The offence committed according to prosecuting counsel, A.Y. Muntaka, is contrary to the provision of Section 366 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 364 of the same Code.
He pleaded โguiltyโ to the charge.
In view of his plea, Muntaka tendered the fact of the matter, his confessional statement and other documents, and urged the court to convict him, accordingly.
Justice Saโad, thereafter, found him guilty, and sentenced him to three months in prison, with an option of N60,000 as fine, based on the allocutus of the defence counsel.
Similarly, the EFCC secured the conviction of one Shehu Muhammed on a one-count charge bordering on criminal misappropriation.
The Commission had received a petition on November 5, 2016 accusing Shehu of advertising a plot of land to the complainant, and after negotiations, he paid the sum of N2,500,000 (Two Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira Only) before he discovered that the convict was not the true agent of the owner, and that he had no authority to sell the property.
The count reads: โThat you, Shehu Mohammed, sometimes in November 2016, at Gombe, Gombe State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court while being entrusted with the sum of N2,500,000.00 (Two Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira Only) property of one Danladi A. Saadu did dishonestly convert the said sum to your own use and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 308 and Section 309 of the penal Code Law of Northern Nigeria respectively.โ
Shehu pleaded โguiltyโ to the charge.
Prosecuting counsel, G.I. Ndeh, tendered the fact of the matter and the confessional statement of the defendant and urged the court to convict him, accordingly.
Defense counsel, Bawa Adamu, however, pleaded with the Court to temper justice with mercy.
While pronouncing him guilty, Justice Sa’ad sentenced him to one month in prison and ordered him to restitute N1.86 million to the complainant.
He was however, given an option of N40,000 as fine.
