Law
EFCC Impostor arrested over extortion
The Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, on July 13, 2015 arrested one Mohammed Adamu (aka Mohammed Bala) for parading himself as a staff of the anti-graft agency.
Adamu was picked up while extorting money from Alhaji Usman Gurama, the Executive Secretary, Gombe State Muslim Pilgrim Welfare Board, under the guise of securing Hajj seat to Saudi Arabia for staff of the Gombe zone of the Commission.
Investigations by the Commission revealed that the suspect had written a letter to the executive secretary of the pilgrims board, requesting for money to give to staff of EFCC for the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Upon his arrest by the EFCC, he confessed not being a staff of the Commission. It turned out that the suspect works with Gombe Local Government Education Authority (L.E.A) as assistant headmaster at Madaki Primary School Gombe State.
Adamu had in his possession; Nigeria Police identity card with his name and picture as Corporal (CLP), a temporary appointment offer letter from Gombe local government education authority, three (3) different copies of Hajj Seats receipts and a letter written by the suspect on a plain paper to the executive secretary Gombe State Muslim Pilgrim Welfare Board, requesting for money for supposed staff of EFCC.
The accused person will be arraigned in Court as soon as investigation is concluded.
EFCC arraigns former Kwara lawmaker for fraud The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, July 14, 2015 arraigned Oladimeji Mohammed Edun, a former member, Kwara State House of Assembly, alongside his company, Zarab Ventures Limited, before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the High Court of Kwara State sitting in Ilorin on a 3-count charge bordering on criminal diversion of funds.
Edun, allegedly secured a contract for his company, Zarab Ventures Limited, for drilling 43 motorized boreholes across different locations in the State under the Millennium Development Goals – Conditional Grant Scheme, project to the tune of N82.5m (eighty-two million, five hundred thousand naira) between 2008 and 2009, but abandoned the projects after collecting 90 percent of the contract sum.
Count three of the charge reads:
“That you, Oladimeji Moh Edun(being managing director/chief executive officer and sole signatory of Zarab Ventures Limited) and Zarab Ventures Limited on or about May 21, 2009 in Ilorin within the Ilorin Judicial Division of the High Court of Kwara State while in such capacity did dishonestly misappropriate the sum of N7,000,000.00 (seven million naira) which was part of the money entrusted to you by the Kwara State MDG’S- CGS for the construction of boreholes in some Local Government Areas and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 309 of the same Act.”
The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him.
Upon his plea, counsel to EFCC, Abdallah Faruk urged the court to fix a date for him to present his witnesses.
However, counsel to the accused, Salman Jawondo prayed the court t admit the accused person to bail.
” We humbly urged your Lordship to admit the accused person to bail. He is a responsible citizen; a former honourable member of the Kwara State of Assembly. As a former legislator, he will not do anything to frustrate his trial”, Jawondo pleaded.
Faruk raised no objection, but urged the court for stiff bail conditions considering the nature of the offence committed by the accused person.
Justice Abdulgafar admitted the accused person to bail in the sum of N5m (five million naira) and two sureties, one of whom must be a statutory owner of a parcel of land within Ilorin township.
The case has been adjourned to October 6, 2015 for hearing.