The Kano Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Wednesday, November 6, 2019 arraigned the duo of Kasim Jibo and Bashir Mua’zu before Justice N.I Afolabi of the Federal High Court, Gombe, Gombe State on a two-count charge, bordering on obtaining by false pretence.
Trouble started for the two following a petition which alleged that Jibo, the first defendant presented himself to one Babangida Muhammed Aliyu as the permanent secretary, Sokoto State’s Ministry of Agriculture and defrauded him of the sum of N6,300,000 (Six Million, Three Hundred Thousand Naira) on the pretence that he will sell five trucks of assorted combination of fertilizers to him at the cost of N3,300,000 (Three Million, Three Hundred Thousand Naira) per truck, and N3,000,000 (Three Million Naira) per truck for NPK brand specifically.
The petitioner further alleged that he paid Jibo the said N6,300,000, through an account number that belongs to Mu’azu, the second defendant.
After the payment, no fertilizer was supplied to the petitioner and all efforts he made to recover his money proved abortive.
Count one of the charges reads: ”That you, Kasimu Jibo and Bashir Mua’zu sometime in April, 2018 in Gombe, Gombe State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did conspire among yourselves to commit an illegal act, to wit: obtaining money under false pretence, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 8(a) and Section 1(1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 respectively.”
The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges, prompting prosecution counsel, Zarami Mohammed to ask the court for a trial date.
Defence counsel, M.A Galaya, however, prayed the court to hear the defendant’s bail application, which Justice Afolabi said the court cannot entertain same day with arraignment.
He ordered that the defendants be remanded in prison custody, pending the hearing of their bail application and adjourned the matter till November 7, 2019 for the hearing of their bail application and November 27, 2019 for trial.