A Chief Magistrate’s Court in Bauchi State has remanded a man called Shirhabil Abubakar in correctional facility for defrauding 20 serving policemen the sum of N4.08 million.
The Bauchi State Police Command arraigned the suspect before the court presided over by Chief Magistrate Haruna Abdulmumin Mamman in a suit number CMCBH/14642/22 which is between the Commissioner of Police and Shirhabil.
Police Prosecutor Inspector Yusuf Usman told the court that “Shirhabil, who hails from Soro Village in Ganjuwa Local Government area of the State, went to the Police Divisional Headquarters in Ningi, Ningi Local Government Area, impersonated and paraded himself as a Staff and Payroll officer of Links and Mutual Microfinance Bank, fraudulently to advertise the bank and instant loan policy, which 20 police officers attached to the Division applied and requested various amount with all necessary information to Umar M Nasir attached to the Bank now at large, fraudulently processed and disbursed overpayment in to the various bank accounts of the personnel”
The Prosecutor said “After he disbursed over payment, he now called the offices and told them that it was a system error, and asked them to pay to the following individual account the over payment and told them that the owners of the account are their payroll officers, 6322525482 Godney Eka Danjuma Fidelity Bank, 5749948810 Mohammed Lukman Ahmed FCMB, 3134743209 Abdullahi Suleiman, First Bank, 0240744854 Shurahbil Abubakar WEMA Bank, 0156845833 Abdullahi Mohammed GTB, 2221124170 Faisal Umar UBA, 1022421270 Najib Isah Abubakar UBA, 0056279310 Adamu Aminu Access Bank, 2066234955 Samaila Bala UBA.”
The Prosecutor gave the names of the police officers defrauded as follows: Elisha Simon N333,000, Ahmed Hassan N370,000, Shehu Baba N229,000, Abubakar Ibrahim N285,000, Shuaibu Mohammed N194,000, Mohammed Musa N187,000, Abdullahi Mohammed N227,000, Mona James N195,000, Halilu Mohammed, N206,000 , Mohammed Zangi N70,000, Yusuf Abdullahi N59,000, Dahiru Abubakar N137,000, Nuhu Maaruf N276,250, Abubakar Bello N92,000, Yakubu Victor N83,000, Garba Isah N409,000, Alex Ali N212,000, Ayuba Samson N153,000, Nasiru Inuwa N269,600 and Yahaya Abdullahi N95,000 and the total amount of money defrauded is N4,083,850k.
He said the offence is contrary to section 27(C)(1)(2)(3)(4), (b)(5),20,22,13,of the cyber crime prohibition , prevention CTC act, 2015and 1(a)(b)(2) of the advance fee fraud and other form of related offences, 2006 of the FRN.
When the case was mentioned, the presiding Magistrate Mamman asked the accused if he understood the case against him which he answered in the affirmative,
The prosecutor asked for time to seek for legal advice which was given, while the Magistrate ordered the accused to be remanded in correctional service facility.
