The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned one Mohammed Gapchia-Gana, alias Mamman Shuwa, before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri on a three-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust to the tune of N2.2 million.
The defendant allegedly swindled the trio of Mohammed Hassan, Fati Buba and Falmata Fali by separately selling a piece of land located at 44G, behind the Federal Road Safety Corps office, along Damboa Road, Maiduguri, to them.
He was accused to have obtained the sum of N850,000 from Mohammed Hassan; N700,000 from Fati Buba and collected the sum of N650,000 from Falmata Fali for the same land which was never even his.
According to a press statement on Thursday by the Head, Media & Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, Investigation revealed that, after commencement of construction on the said land by one of the complainants, Borno State Geographic Information Services, BOGIS, demolished the structure on the grounds that the piece of land is a government layout and not owned by the defendant.
This, the statement said, led the complainants to write a petition against the defendant.
The count one of the charge read: “That you Mohammed Gapchia Gana, aka Mamman Shuwa, sometime in December, 2019 in Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did with intent to defraud obtained the sum of Eight Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N850, 000.00) from Mohammed Hassan under the false pretence of sale of land at 44G, behind Federal Road Safety Corps office, along Damboa Road, a claim which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (b) of the Advance Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
Count two read: “That you Mohammed Gapchia Gana, aka Mamman Shuwa, sometime in December, 2019 in Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did with intent to defraud obtained the sum of seven Hundred Thousand Naira (N700, 000.00) from Fati Buba under the false pretence of sale of land at 44G, behind Federal Road Safety Corps office, along Damboa Road, a claim which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (b) of the Advance Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
According to the statement, the defendant pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the three counts preferred against him by the anti-graft agency.
The prosecution counsel, Fatsuma Muhammad subsequently asked the court for a trial date and prayed the court to remand the defendant in the Correctional Centre.
Justice Kumaliya thereafter adjourned the matter till November 29, 2021 for commencement of trial and ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Correctional Facility.