Justice Abdulhamid Yakubu of the Gombe State High Court on 29th May 2024, convicted and sentenced one Aliyu Mohammed to twelve months imprisonment for defrauding Lacachika Nigeria Limited and Captain Lamolohguhe of N4,800,000 in a land scam.
The conviction stemmed from a petition alleging that Mohammed had received N4,800,000 for a property he failed to deliver, nor did he return the money to the complainants.
Mohammed, a former staff of NITEL/MTEL, was prosecuted by the Gombe Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a one-count charge of intent to defraud. He pleaded guilty to the charge.
The charge, as posted on the anti-graft agency website, reads: “That you, Aliyu Mohammed, former staff of NITEL/MTEL, sometime in 2021 at Gombe, Gombe State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, with intent to defraud, obtained the aggregate sum of N4,800,000 (Four Million, Eight Hundred Thousand Naira), property of Lacachika Nigeria Limited and Captain Lamolohguhe, claiming the money was payment for landed property located at Kaltungo, Gombe State, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 320 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 322 of the same law.”
Following Mohammed’s guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, S.E. Okemini, urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly. The defence counsel requested leniency, pointing out that Mohammed was a first-time offender.
After considering the submissions from both sides, Justice Yakubu sentenced Mohammed to twelve months imprisonment.
The court, however, offered him an option of a fine of N20,000 (Twenty Thousand Naira).
In a similar development, Justice J.A. Kereng of the Gombe State High Court also convicted and sentenced Umar Bakari and Musa Aliyu Hinna for land fraud amounting to N3,525,000.
The judgment was delivered on Friday, May 30, 2024, following their guilty pleas to separate charges of intent to defraud, brought against them by the Gombe Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The charge against Bakari stated: “That you, Umar Bakari, and Shehu Adamu (now convict) sometime in February 2022 at Gombe, Gombe State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the aggregate sum of N525,000 (Five Hundred and Twenty-Five Thousand Naira) from David Ibrahim by falsely representing to him that the money was payment for your landed property located at Shango-hamma District Tumfure of Gombe State and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 322 of the same Law.”
The charge against Hinna read: “That you, Musa Aliyu Hinna, also known as Umar Aliyu Marafan, on or about October 15, 2021, at Gombe, Gombe State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N3,000,000 (Three Million Naira) through your account number 1003713276 with Account Name: Aliyu Hinna Musa, property of one Umar Musa Umar, which you claimed was payment for your landed property located at Wajari Yamaltu Debi, Gombe State, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 322 of the same Law.”
Both defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges when they were read to them.
Prosecution counsel S.E. Okemini subsequently prayed the court to convict and sentence them accordingly while the defence counsel requested leniency, noting that the defendants were first-time offenders.
Justice Kereng sentenced Umar Bakari to six months imprisonment and Musa Aliyu Hinna to seven months and two weeks imprisonment.
Gombe High Court convicts Aliyu Mohammed, two others for over N8m land scam