The Economic and Financial Crimes, EFCC, Maiduguri zonal office has secured the conviction of Ibrahim Goni Bama and Bamai Kachallah (alias ALI KACHALLAH) before Justice Umar Fadawu, of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri on a 2- count charge for the offence of conspiracy and criminal misappropriation of funds to the tune of N10m.
Bama and Kachallahโs journey to prison started when they were awarded a N10m contract by an International Non Governmental Organization, Norwegian Refugee Council. They then approached Abubakar Sadiq Gubio, who is the complainant, to finance the said contract, which he obliged. The contract was later revoked by the NGO but the development was not communicated to Gubio nor his money returned.
The count reads: โThat you, IBRAHIM GONI BAMA and BAMAI KACHALLAH (AKA ALI KACHALLAH) sometime in December, 2018 at Maiduguri within the Jurisdiction of the High Court of Borno State did conspire amongst yourselves to do an illegal act to wit: dishonestly convert to your own use the sum of N10,000,000.00 (Ten Million ) belonging to Abubakar Sadiq Gubio and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 96(1) (a) and punishable under section 97(1) of Penal Code Law 102, Laws of Borno State.โ
The defendants pleaded guilty to the charge. Prosecution counsel, Benjamin Manji led Salisu Muhammad Rabiu, an investigator with the EFCC in evidence, wherein he disclosed that the investigation uncovered zero evidence of performance of the contract after the defendants collected N10m from the complainant.
Manji consequently prayed the court to convict the defendants as charged.
Justice Fadawu convicted the defendants and sentenced them to three years in prison with an option of three Hundred Thousand Naira fine, on count one. They were also sentenced to one year in prison with an option of Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira fine on count two.
In a related development, the Maiduguri Zonal office, of the EFCC, arraigned Bulus Moses (Alias Heavy Dollar), before Justice Fadawu Umar of the Borno State High court, Maiduguri on one count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N4.5m.
‘Heavy Dollar’ allegedly received the sum in installments under the guise of executing a contract for the supply of sugar from Acted, a non- governmental organisation.
The count reads: โThat you, BULU MOSES (Alias Heavy Dollar) sometime between September and October 2018 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud obtained the gross sum of N5,400,000.00 (Five Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira) from one Sunusi under the false pretense that the said sum represent payment towards the execution of a purported contract for the supply of Sugar awarded to you by a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(1) (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.โ
Also arraigned before Justice Umar is Emmanuel Yakubu. He was docked on a-one count charge bordering on obtaining N10m by false pretence.
Both Heavy Dollar and Yakubu were remanded in prison custody and their case adjourned to September 12 and 11 respectively
