EFCC arraigns chairman of Sharia court of Appeal in Gombe for fraud (Photos)

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned one Usman Muhammad Dajji of the Gombe State Sharia Court of Appeal before Justice Sa'ad Muhammad of the Gombe State High Court on five count charges bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and forgery.

The suspect who is the Chairman of Sharia Court of appeal staff multipurpose Cooperative Society, Gombe was arrested by EFCC operatives following a petition by one Sani Abdullahi of Sam Omosco Nigeria Limited, a company that specializes in computer supplies and accessories, alleging that sometimes in December, 2012, the suspect approached him with a contract proposal to supply 3000 Units of Computer Laptop to the Sharia Court of Appeal Cooperative Society with a condition that he must pay the sum of N550,000.00 as commitment and processing fee before the execution of the contract.

The money was paid after being convinced as all document relating to the contract were presented. 

Unknown to him that the suspect forged the official stamp of the Chief Registrar Sharia Court of Appeal, Gombe and the signature of one Abubakar Aliyu the Cooperative Society's Treasurer, for the furtherance of his dubious activities and diverted the said sum to his personal use.

Count one of the charge read: 

“That you, Usman Muhammad Dajji, being the Chairman of Gombe State Sharia Court of Appeal Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society, sometimes in December, 2013 in Gombe, Gombe State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did with intend to defraud, obtained the sum of Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500, 000) only from Sani Abdullahi of Samomasco Nigeria Limited under the false pretence that the said sum were to be utilizes for processing irrevocable standing payment order from the office of Accountant General Gombe State in favour of the company and diverted same to your personal used thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 (1b) and punishable under section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006”.

The accused person pleaded not guilty to all the charges read against him and the prosecution counsel S. M. Aliyu asked the court to fix a date for trial as all his witnesses and exhibits to tender before the court were ready. 

In his ruling, Justice Sa'ad remanded the accuse person in prison custody pending the filing of his bail application while he adjourned the case to Monday, 13 March 2017, for trial.