The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on November 19, 2018
arraigned Abdulsalam Saleh Abdulkareem, a governorship candidate of the Green
Party of Nigeria, GPN, and Ebere Nzekwe, before Justice Lewis Allagoa of the
Federal High Court, Kano on a nine-count charge of criminal conspiracy and
obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of $1,320,000 only.
The petitioner alleged that sometimes in 2014, the defendants connived to
fraudulently obtained the said sum from him in the belief that it
would be used for business investment which eventually turned out to be
false.
Abdulsalam also allegedly met with his Personal Assistant, one Muhannat in a
hotel in Republic of Kuwait for a talk on the said dealings. The meeting led to
his (Abdulsalam’s) invitation to Nigeria via a company, Seit Nigeria Limited.
It was during this meeting that the total sum of One Million Five hundred USD
(1,500, 000USD) was displayed to him as the sum belonging to the alleged
partner in the acclaimed investment.
One of the counts reads: ''That you Abdulkareem Saleh Abdulsalam, Ebere
Nzechukwu (aka General Aria), Michael Edosa (at Large), sometime in August
2014, at Kano within the Kano Judicial Division of the High Court, with intent
to defraud, conspired to obtain the total sum of one million, three hundred and
twenty thousand dollars ($1,320,000.00) from Dr. Jamman Al-Azmi when you
represented that you have the capacity to partner with him for joint venture business,
which representation you knew to be false, thereby committing an offence
contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related
Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.''
Both defendants pleaded “not guilty” when the charges were read to them.
Prosecuting Counsel, Johnson Ojogbane, asked the court for a date for hearing
sequel to the plea of the accused persons.
The defence counsel, Dr. K.M. Liman, SAN and Chris Asekome, however, moved their
bail and prayed the judge to grant the defendants bail as “they have already
been enjoying an administrative bail given by EFCC”.
Ojogbane did not oppose the application for bail but stated that “if his
lordship is inclined to grant their bail, he should do so with the knowledge
that the first accused person jumped bail and did not show up the last time the
matter was fixed which made it to be adjourned for today”.
Justice Allagoa, thereafter, granted the accused persons bail in the sum of
N100 million and one surety in like sum; the surety, the judge said must have a
landed property in Kano.
The case has been adjourned to January 29 and 30, 2019 for hearing.
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