The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned two bankers, Freeman Jacob and Umar Abdullahi, for allegedly conspiring to steal the sum of N20 million. Reports gathered suggest that the accused persons worked together in February 2020, at a commercial bank in Kano to carry out the theft. Ahmed Bashir and Abdulhakim Usa (aka Gandu) were also arraigned for working in collaboration with the other accused.
According to the charges, the defendants allegedly connived to work with Ahmed Bashir and Abdulhakim Usa to steal an automated teller machine (ATM) card from an account belonging to one Alhaji Sani Untari, without his knowledge or consent. They used the card to withdraw N20,000,000 from his account.
The fraud was reportedly perpetuated by using the account holder’s SIM card which was stolen by Ahmed Bashir, the third defendant, to produce an ATM card.
All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. Counsel for the prosecution, Ishaq Yahaya Habib, requested the defendants be remanded in custody and urged the court to fix a date for trial commencement.
However, counsel representing the first and second defendants, made a bail application, which was opposed by the prosecution counsel on the grounds that the application ought to be formal. L.A Umar who represented the fourth defendant, informed the court that she intends to file a formal bail application and subsequently requested an adjournment for the same and for the commencement of trial.
The presiding judge, Justice Simon Amobeda, agreed with the prosecution that bail applications should be made formally before the court, and subsequently ordered that the defendants be remanded in custody. He then adjourned the matter until June 26, 2023, for the hearing of bail applications and commencement of trial.
