The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Sokoto Zonal Office, on Thursday arraigned three top officials of the Sokoto Medical and Health Workers Union, before Justice Isah Muhammad Bargaja of the Sokoto State High Court on two-count charges bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N3, 300,000.00.
The defendants are: former Chairman, Shagari Local Government Area branch of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, Ibrahim Dan-Dede, his Secretary, Suleiman Ibrahim and Treasurer, Habibu Musa, respectively.
Count one read: “That you Ibrahim Dan-Dede while being the Chairman, Suleiman Ibrahim while being the Secretary and Habibu Musa while being Treasurer of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, Shagari Local Government Area branch of Sokoto State, sometime in August, 2015 in Sokoto, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, did obtain 20 units of new Daylong G125, motorcycles, which each cost the sum of N165,000.00 (One Hundred And Sixty Five Thousand Naira), totalling the sum of N3,300,000.00 (Three Million Three Hundred Naira, Only) from one Babangida Garba (a motorcycle dealer), when you falsely represented yourself to him the motorcycles were for the members of your union as loan, a pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
When the charges were read to the defendants, they pleaded not guilty to them.
In view of their no guilty plea, prosecution counsel, Habila Jonathan, asked the court for a date for commencement of trial and urged the court to remand the accused persons in custody of the Nigeria Correctional Services (NCS), in Sokoto State.
The defense counsel, Ibrahim Umar, prayed for time to enable him file the bail applications of his clients
Justice Bargaja adjourned the case till July 15, 2020 for trial and ordered that the defendants be remanded in the custody of Nigeria Correctional Services, pending the determination of their bail applications
The defendants’ trouble started when the Commission received a petition against them by a motorcycle dealer, who alleged that sometimes in August 2015, the defendants approached him to supply 20 units of new Daylong G125 motorcycles, with each costing the sum of N165, 000.00 (One hundred and Sixty Five Thousand Naira) totalling the sum of N3, 300,000.00 (Three Million Three Hundred Naira).
According to the petitioner, the defendants falsely presented to him, that the motorcycles were for the members of their union as loans, adding that based on that assurance, he supplied the 20 units of the motorcycles, for which he neither received any payment nor return of his goods.
