Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said its Sokoto Zonal Command has arraigned the duo of Yahaya Abdulrahman and Mohammad Iliyasu alongside their company, Azzumee Multipurpose Cooperative Society, before Justice Mohammed Mohammed of the Sokoto State High Court on a three count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, issuance of a dud cheque in the sum of N4,859,000.00 and obtaining by false pretence.
EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, who disclosed this in a statement said suspects are alleged to have fraudulently induced the petitioner to supply 1,651 bags of rice to their company at the cost of N27,000.00 per bag, totaling N44,577,000.00 and jointly issued cheques of N14,359,000.00 in the name of the petitioner, which was returned unpaid due to insufficient funds standing to the credit of the drawer.
According to Uwujaren, count one reads, “That you, Yahaya Abdulrahman while being the Chairman of Azzumee Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Mohammad Iliyasu while being a Director and Vice Chairman of Azzumee Multipurpose Cooperative Society and Azzumee Multipurpose Cooperative Society sometime in November 2020 at Sokoto within the Judicial Division of the High Court of Justice, Sokoto State did conspire among yourselves to commit an illegal act to wit: Criminal Breach of Trust and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 59(a) of the Sokoto State Penal Code Law, 2019 and punishable under Section 60(2) of the same Law.”
He further disclosed that count two reads, “That you, Yahaya Abdulrahman while being the Chairman of Azzumee Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Mohammad Iliyasu while being a Director and Vice Chairman of Azzumee Multipurpose Cooperative Society and Azzumee Multipurpose Cooperative Society sometime in March 2021 at Sokoto within the Judicial Division of the High Court of Justice, Sokoto State with the knowledge that you have insufficient funds in your account issued to one IMUDAN Ventures a Stanbic IBTC Bank cheque number 00000061 dated 5th March 2021 for the sum of N4,859,000.00 (Four Million Eight Hundred and Fifty-nine Thousand Naira) which said cheque when presented was dishonored due to insufficient funds in your account and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (a) of the Dishonored Cheques ( Offences) Act, CAP D11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and punishable under Section 1(1) (b) of the same Act.”
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All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge. Consequently, the prosecution counsel, S.H Sa’ad prayed the Court to allow the hearing to commence as two witnesses were in Court, ready to testify. However, the defence counsel, Y.Y Bazawa urged the court to grant his clients bail.
Justice Mohammed granted the defendants bail in the sum of N5,000,000, 00 and one surety each in like sum.
According to the Judge, the sureties must be residents of the Sokoto metropolis and own landed property in the city. Also, the sureties are to deposit a passport photograph each with the registrar of the Court.
The Judge adjourned the matter till 26th September 2022 for trial
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