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| The suspects |
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC Kano Zonal Office on May 16, 2019 arraigned four staff of Kano Road Traffic Agency and a staff Primary Education before Justice Farouq Lawal of the Kano State High Court on a four-count charge conspiracy, obtaining money under false pretence and forgery.
The accused persons, Abduljalal Salisu Abduljalal, Nazifi Ali Chigari, Abbas Tijjani, Ado Aminu and Muhammed Imam who works in Primary school were arrested by the EFCC following intelligence the commission received, which indicated that the first and second accused were selling fake employment letters at Fine Time Park located along Race Course road Nasarawa GRA Kano.
Operatives of the EFCC immediately swung into action and conducted a raid at Fine Time Park where the first accused was arrested while committing the crime, and was brought to the office along with his vehicle and the victim.
The car was searched and the following incriminating items were recovered: Official stamp of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA), and Kano Agricultural Research and development Agency (KNARDA), two FRSC employment offer letters in favour of Garba Sani Iliyasu and Aliyu Garba Ibrahim.
Other items found on him were five FIRS provisional offer of employment letters in favour of Abba Sani Alkali, Auwalu Salisu Yahaya, Abba Sani Aminu, Ibrahim Is a Abdullahi and Musa Usman Garba with three FIRS posting letters, a Nigerian Immigration Service provisional offer of appointment in favour of Abubakar Muhammad, two KNARDA letters of permanent and pensionable employment in favour of Abdullahi Isah Suleiman and Husseini Haruna, a Kano State Senior Secondary Schools Management Board (KSSSMB) letter of permanent and pensionable appointment in favour of Ahmad Aliyu, three KAROTA offer of permanent and pensionable appointment letters in favour of Sabitu Adamu Mohammed, Mansur Isa and Abu Kaseem Isah, a letter of permanent and pensionable appointment of SUBEB in favour of Umar Habibu, employment application forms of various agencies and CV’s as well as statement of results of several individuals were equally discovered. Search was also conducted at his residence at Hotoro Area of Kano.
The second accused took to his heel upon sighting the operatives, but later submitted himself to the Commission.
The third accused, Muhammed Imam was arrested at his residence in Karfi village in Kura Local Government area of Kano. Search was also conducted at his residence and several incriminating documents were found including stamps of Government Secondary Schools.
Count one of the charge reads: โThat you, Abduljalal Salisu, Nazifi Ali Chigari, Muhammed Imam, Abbas Tijjani and Ado Aminu on or about March 2019 in Kano within the jurisdiction of the Kano State High Court Kano, conspired amount yourselves to commit an unlawful act to wit: with intent to defraud represented yourselves to one Anas Ahmad as capable of procuring an employment for him at Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA) which pretence you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 96 of the Penal Code and punishable under section 97 (2) of the same ACT.โ
The defendants pleaded โnot guiltyโ to the charges against them.
Prosecuting counsel, Michael Ojo, asked the court for a date for hearing.
Counsel to the first defendant, Nazir Bello, counsel to the second, fourth and fifth defendants, R.S Abdullahi and counsel to the third defendant, M.Y. Yusuf all applied for the bail of their clients.
Justice Lawan granted the defendants bail in the sum of N250,000 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) each with two sureties in like sum, one of whom must either be the district head of where the defendants reside and must bring his letter of introduction from his local government area and must undertake to take the defendant on bail or a civil servant who must be above grade level 12 of either the Federal or State Government Ministry or Agency or in case of a natural person, he must be a responsible person who resides and has a landed property in the area where the accused person reside and must bring a letter of introduction from the district head of that area and depose to an affidavit of means.
The trial judge further ordered that they should be remanded in prison pending when they fulfil the bail conditions.
The case was adjourned to June 27, 2019 for trial.
