Goni Muhammad and Seidu Seriki Hamani have been convicted and sentenced to seven years imprisonment, for offering fake gold belonging to former First Lady, Patience Jonathan to their victims.
They were arraigned by Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on May 16, 2022, before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri.
They faced two- count charges bordering on conspiracy and obtaining under false pretence to the tune of N 26, 492,000 (Twenty Six Million, Four Hundred and Ninety Two Thousand Naira) only.
The defendants pleaded ‘not guilty’ when the charges were read to them.
EFCC Counsel, Mukhtar Ali Ahmed presented three witnesses and tendered several documents as exhibits before the court.
However, defence counsel, H. Waziri prayed the court to temper justice with mercy and “consider their in-ability to secure bail after they were arraigned before the court”.
Justice Kumaliya, in her judgment on Thursday, September 28, found them guilty, convicted and sentenced them on count one to seven years imprisonment each for the offence of conspiracy and seven years for the offence of obtaining under false pretence.
The jail terms are to commence from the day they were first arraigned and run concurrently.
The Judge further ordered Muhammad to pay the balance of N16, 492,000.00 to his victim or serve additional seven years imprisonment.
The convicts bagged their imprisonment when they were arrested by operatives of the Maiduguri Zonal Command of the EFCC, for conspiring and obtaining N26, 492,000 from their victims under the guise of selling two grams of gold belonging to a former first Lady, Mrs. Patience Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. They were charged to court and convicted.
