EFCC Docks Man for Land Scam, Forgery
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC Kaduna Zonal Office has arraigned one Suleiman Ibrahim Ka'ida before Justice Mohammed Tukur of the state high court, sitting in Kaduna, the Kaduna State capital, on a four-count charge bordering on forgery and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N3, 700, 000 (Three Million Seven Hundred Thousand naira) only.
The defendant was arrested by the Commission following a complaint by one Abdulrrahman A. Gumi of No.11 Modibo Adama Road, Kaduna.
Gumi alleged that he was introduced to Ka'ida by one Abdulrasheed Baba Ahmed Kankaba to buy a piece of land in Malali Layout, Kaduna at the sum of N3,700.000 (Three Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Naira only), for which he paid cash, and only to realise afterwards that someone else was claiming ownership of the said piece of land and had even begun developing the land. Gumi made several efforts to get back his money to no avail.
One of the charges reads: "That you Suleiman Ibrahim Ka'ida, sometime in 2012 in Kaduna within the judicial division of the High Court of Kaduna State, fraudulently used as genuine, a forged document titled, "Certificate of Statutory Right of Occupancy No: 9937," which you used in selling a plot of land at No.6 Road 'J' TPO 462B Malali, Kaduna to one Abdulrahman A. Gumi at the cost of N3,700,000 (Three Million Seven Hundred Thousand Naira, only) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 366 of the Penal Code Law CAP89 Laws of Northern Nigeria and punishable under Section 364 of the same law."
The defendant pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Following the not guilty plea, prosecuting counsel, P.C. Onyeneho urged the court to fix a date for commencement of trial and prayed that the defendant be remanded in prison custody, while the defence counsel, Abdulkareem Audu pleaded with the court to grant his client on bail.
Justice Tukur in his ruling, granted bail to the accused person in the sum of N1,000,000 (One Million Naira), with one surety in like sum, who must be a public servant, not below grade level 12 and should show evidence of tax clearance to be verified by the court and the EFCC. He adjourned the matter to April 29, 2019.
