A prosecution witness, Abdulrahman Dan-Mallam has given evidence before Justice Mohammed Tukur of a State High Court, sitting in Kaduna, narrating how three oil dealers, Mudashiru Mustapha, Omotoye Martins Adekoya and Shehu Mohammed (now at large), perpetrated a N17 million fraud.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is prosecuting the defendants, on a two-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust. They are alleged to have at various times received sums amounting to N17,170,000 (Seventeen Million, One Hundred and Seventy Thousand Naira) for the supply of 127,000 litres of Petroleum Motor Spirit, PMS, but they never supplied the product.
Testifying before Justice Tukur on February 28, 2020, as the second prosecution witness, Dan-Mallam, an investigator with the EFCC, told the Court that the Kaduna Zonal Office of the EFCC received the petition against them from the Managing Director of Petroleum Resources Limited, Abubakar Adamu.
While being led in evidence by counsel for the EFCC, S.H. Sa’ad, he revealed that the Commission immediately swung into action to investigate the allegations, and sent letters to Zenith Bank requesting for the statement of accounts of the defendants.
“The bank responded and the statements were analyzed,” he said.
He informed the court that the first defendant, Mustapha received the sum of N17,170,000 for the supply of 127,000 litres of PMS which was to be supplied 48 hours after payment.
He said: “Investigation revealed that the sum of N3 million was paid on 18th September, 2018, the following day being 19th September, 2018 a total sum N13,880,000 and another N170,000 was paid.
“Prior to the payment, there was an outstanding balance of N120,000 in the account.”
“We equally invited the second defendant, Omotoye Martins Adekoya, to know about his involvement as regards the petition.
“He confirmed receiving part of the money from the first defendant.
“At the end of the investigation, we were able to establish that the petitioner, Abubakar Adamu, paid the total sum of N17,170,000 into the first defendant’s account domiciled with Zenith Bank for the supply of 127,000 litres of PMS, but it was never supplied.
“The first defendant diverted the money to his personal use contrary to the initial agreement.”
The matter has been adjourned until April 29, 2020 for continuation of hearing.
