The Maiduguri Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, July 2, 2020, secured the conviction of one Lawan Zanna Ajimi before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of Borno State High Court.
He was prosecuted on one-count charge of cheating to the tune of N1,250,000.00 (One Million Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira).
The EFCC was able to establish that the convict lured his victim into giving him a Honda Accord 2005 Saloon car in exchange for a plot of land which he fraudulently claimed was his.
The charge read: “That you, Lawan Zanna Ajimi sometime in 2014 at Maiduguri Borno State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court dishonestly induced one Ba’ari Baba Ali Ajayi to deliver to you a Honda Accord Saloon car valued at the sum of N1,250,000.00 (One Million, Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira only) that the said car would be used for the exchange of a plot of land and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Sections 320 (a) and 322 of the Penal Code Laws of Borno State Cap. 102 Vol. 3 of 1994 respectively.”
He pleaded guilty to the charge upon arraignment, prompting prosecution counsel, Khalid Sanusi to ask the court to convict and sentence him.
Justice Kumaliya convicted and sentenced him to six months in prison or pay N100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) as fine.
In another development, one Allen Abel was convicted by Justice Kumaliya but reserved his sentence till August 10. Abel was prosecuted on a 20-count charge by the Commission’s Maiduguri Office for offences that border on forgery, possession of false documents, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, food items valued at N12, 879,800.00 (Twelve Million Eight Hundred and Seventy Nine Thousand Eight Hundred Naira).
