The Kano Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday, November 12, 2019 arraigned the duo of Ado Shehu and Ali Muhammad before Justice Amina .A. Aliyu of the Kano State High Court on a three-count charge, bordering on theft and receipt of gratification.
The complainant, Sanusi Yakubu in a petition, had alleged that one Williams Aondo (now late), who was a staff of Skye Bank, conspired with Shehu and Muhammad, both of whom are staff of Sharia Court, Kano State and instituted a civil action, claiming that he (the complainant) was late, after they noticed inactivity on his account for a few years, not knowing that he was alive and well in Saudi Arabia.
The petitioner also alleged that the court, acting upon the information presented before it by the said Shehu and Muhammad, ordered his account to be closed and that the sum of N1,255,728.00 (One Million, Two Hundred and Fifty-five Thousand, Seven Hundred and Twenty-eight Naira) that was in the account be remitted to the court for distribution to his heirs.
Count one of the charge reads: ”That you Ado Shehu, Ali Muhammad and Abba Sanusi, (now at large), sometime in December, 2017 at Kano, Kano State, within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, conspired among yourselves to do an illegal act to wit: conspiracy to commit theft against one Sanusi Yakubu and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 96(1)(a) and punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code Law (1987).”
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. In view of their plea, prosecution counsel, Zarami Mohammed asked the court for a trial date and for the defendants to be remanded in the custody of Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS).
Defence counsel Rabiu Sani, however, made an oral application of bail for the defendants, which Justice Amina A. Aliyu granted.
He admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N100,000 each and two sureties in like sum. One of the sureties must be a staff of the judiciary, not less than Grade Level 12 and the other must also be a judiciary staff, and ordered that they be remanded in the custody of NCS pending the fulfillment of their bail conditions.
The case was adjourned to November 14, 2019 for hearing.