Ibrahim Abdullahi and Umar Usman were found guilty on Wednesday by a Gombe State High Court of obtaining N682,847 through deceitful means.
Abdullahi and Usman were each arraigned separately on three counts related to cheating and employment scams, according to a statement released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Part of the charge stated as follows: “That you, Ibrahim Abdullahi, sometime between October 2020 and January 2021 in Gombe, Gombe State, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, obtained the Polaris ATM card property of Aminu Adamu Idris and Muhammad Saidu Jibril, which you claimed was documentation for an offer of employment you secured for them in a Gombe private liability company, but instead used the said ATM card to obtain a loan to the tune of N682,847 without their consent, thereby committing an offense against Section 320 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 322 of the same Law.
“Part of the charge stated as follows: “That you, Ibrahim Abdullahi, sometime between October 2020 and January 2021 in Gombe, Gombe State, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, obtained the Polaris ATM card property of Aminu Adamu Idris and Muhammad Saidu Jibril, which you claimed was documentation for an offer of employment you secured for them in a Gombe private liability company, but instead used the said ATM card to obtain a loan to the tune of N682,847 without their consent, thereby committing an offense against Section 320 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 322 of the same Law.”A.B.
Kware, the prosecutor, begged the judge to sentence the defendants appropriately in light of their pleas, while R.A. Anthony, the defendants’ attorney, begged the judge to show mercy on them because they are first-time offenders who regret their actions.Abdullahi and Usman were both found guilty by Judge Kereng, who also sentenced them to one year in prison and a fine of N50,000.
Usman was given a two-year prison sentence and a fine of N50,000.In a related development, Mohammed Soja was given a six-year prison sentence by Justice Kereng for employment fraud. Three charges against Soja that involved employment scams, cheating, and fraud were brought against her.Judge Kereng gave him a second chance and sentenced him to six years in prison with the possibility of a N150,000 fine because of his father’s medical condition.
According to reports, Alhaji Abdullahi Usman was given a 10-year prison sentence by a Gombe State High Court on Thursday for obtaining goods through deception.
On June 27, 2018, Usman was charged with one count by the EFCC before Judge Abubakar Jauro. He had approached the owner of Fusaha Stores in Gombe, pretending to be a wealthy businessman from Adamawa State, and asked for some goods.He was remanded in custody after entering a not guilty plea to the charge.