N31m land fraud: EFCC arraigns suspect before Kano Court

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kano Zonal Directorate, has arraigned one Abubakar Iliyasu Saminu before Justice Nasiru Saminu of the Kano State High Court on a one-count charge bordering on obtaining the sum of N31m by false pretence.

According to the Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Mr. Dele Oyewale, the defendant allegedly obtained the sum of N31m from one Muhuyi Adamu through his Zenith Bank account and cash transactions under the guise that he is the sole owner of 91 plots of land located at Panshekara NEPA in Kumbotso Local Government Area, which he purportedly sold to Muhuyi Adamu, who subsequently sold same to one Nuruddeen Suleiman Ishaq. However, when Nuruddeen started developing the property, the actual owner of the plots showed up with the original title documents of the land. The investigation subsequently revealed that the defendant used forged documents to sell the property to the petitioner, Muhuyi Adamu.

The charge reads: “That you Abubakar Iliyasu Saminu between August 2023 and February 2024 at Kano, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court and with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N31m from Muhuyi Adamu through your bank account with Zenith bank and cash under the pretense that you are the owner of 31 plots of land at Panshekara Nepa in Kumbotso Local Government which was subsequently sold to Nuraddeen Sulaiman Ishaq, a pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offenses Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act’’.

When the charge was read to him, the defendant pleaded not guilty. In response, the prosecution counsel, Douglas I. Gift sought a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendant pending trial. However, defence counsel, Nasir Abdulrahaman applied for bail on behalf of the defendant, which was granted.

Justice Saminu admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N25m with two sureties. One of the sureties must have a landed property within Kano Metropolis with a valid Certificate of Occupancy, to be deposited with the court and submit a written undertaking that, should the defendant abscond, the property will be forfeited and sold to satisfy the bail bond.

The case was adjourned to June 25, 2025, for commencement of trial.