EFCC Arraigns Court Official Over Contract Scam

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, February 21, 2017 arraigned one Usman Muhammad Dajji, a staff of the Gombe State Sharia Court of Appeal before Justice Sa’ad Muhammad of the State High Court, Gombe on a 5-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence and forgery. 

 

Dajji, who is the Chairman of Sharia Court of Appeal Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Gombe was arrested by EFCC operatives following a petition by one Sani Abdullahi of Sam Omosco Nigeria Limited, a company that specialises in computer supply and accessories.

 

The accused was alleged to have in December 2012, defrauded the petitioner under the pretext of having a contract award for the supply of 3,000 units of computer laptops to his cooperative society on agreement that the sum of N500,000 must be paid as commitment and processing fee before the execution of the contract.

 

Without doubt, the money was paid as all documents relating to the contract were presented. However, Dajji allegedly forged the official stamp of the Chief Registrar of the Sharia Court of Appeal and the signature of one Abubakar Aliyu, who is the treasurer of the cooperative society to collect the said sum which he diverted to personal use.

 

Count one of the charge reads:

“That you, Usman Muhammad Dajji being the Chairman of Gombe State Sharia Court of Appeal Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society, sometimes in December 2013 in Gombe, Gombe State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did with intent to defraud obtain the sum of N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira Only) from Sani Abdullahi of Sam Omasco Nigeria Limited under the false pretence that the said sum were to be utilized for processing irrevocable standing payment order from the office of Accountant-General, Gombe State in favour of the company and diverted same to your personal use thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1b) and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006”.

 

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

 

Following his plea, counsel to the EFCC, S. M. Aliyu, asked the court to fix a date for trial as all his witnesses and exhibits were ready.

 

Justice Muhammad adjourned to Monday, March 13, 2017 for trial and ordered the accused person to be remanded in prison custody pending the filing of his bail application.