Justice Bello Duwale of the Sokoto State High Court, sitting in Sokoto today Monday 12 October, 2020, convicted and sentenced a fraudster, Umaru Isma’il, to five years imprisonment without an option of fine for obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of Six Hundred and Sixty Eight Thousand Naira (N668, 000.00).
The convict was prosecuted by the Sokoto Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,on an eight-count amended charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence.
One of the charges reads; “that you Umaru Ismaila sometime between the months of March, 2017, June and July, 2018 at Sokoto within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the total sum of N668,000.00 (Six Hundred and Sixty Eight Thousand Naira) from one Sani Musa, when you falsely represented yourself to him as capable of making him become rich (wealthy) by praying for him, a pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act”.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges, which necessitated his trial.
Prosecution counsel, Habila Jonathan, in the course of the trial tendered several documents and called six witnesses to prove the case against the convict.
Justice Duwale convicted Isma’il on all the charges, and sentenced him to five years on each of the 8 counts, without an option of fine. The sentences are to run concurrently.
In addition, the Judge ordered the convict to restitute the sum of Six Hundred and Sixty Eight Thousand Naira (N668, 000.00) to the victim through the EFCC.