Shirhabil Abubakar, a Bauchi-based man has been jailed for allegedly defrauding 20 policemen to the tune of N4,083,850.
Magistrate Court in Bauchi State presided over by Chief Magistrate Haruna Abdulmumin Mamman has remanded the criminal in a correctional facility for the act.
The Bauchi State Police Command arraigned the suspect before the court in suit number CMCBH/14642/22 which is between the Commissioner of Police and Shirhabil.
Following the proceedings, the Police Prosecutor (PP), Inspector Yusuf Usman, told the court that Abubakar, who hails from Soro Village in Ganjuwa Local Government Area of the state, went to the Police Divisional Headquarters in Ningi, Ningi Local Government Area, impersonated and paraded himself as a staff and payroll officer of Links and Mutual Microfinance Bank. He (Shirhabil) fraudulently advertised an instant loan policy, which 20 service police officers attached to the Division applied and requested various amounts with all the necessary information to Umar M Nasir, attached to the Bank now at large; fraudulently processed and disbursed overpayment into the various bank accounts of the personnel.
Usman further said, “After he disbursed the overpayment, he now called the officers and told them that it was a system error, and asked them to pay the overpayment to the following individual’s account, 6322525482, Godney Eka Danjuma, Fidelity Bank, 5749948810, Mohammed Lukman Ahmed, FCMB, 3134743209, Abdullahi Suleiman, First Bank, 0240744854, Shurahbil Abubakar, WEMA Bank, 0156845833, Abdullahi Mohammed, GTB, 2221124170, Faisal Umar, UBA, 1022421270, Najib Isah Abubakar, UBA, 0056279310, Adamu Aminu, Access Bank, 2066234955, Samaila Bala, UBA, that the owners of the account were their payroll officers.”
The Prosecutor gave the names of the police officers with various amounts of loans overpayment, defrauded under false pretence to have been mistakenly disbursed as a result of system error as follows: Elisha Simon – N333,000; Ahmed Hassan – N370,000; Shehu Baba – N229,000; Abubakar Ibrahim – N285,000; Shuaibu Mohammed – N194,000; Mohammed Musa – N187,000; Abdullahi Mohammed – N227,000; Mona James – N195,000; Halilu Mohammed – N206,000.
Others are: Mohammed Zangi – N70,000; Yusuf Abdullahi – N59,000; Dahiru Abubakar – N137,000; Nuhu Maaruf – N276,250; Abubakar Bello – N92,000; Yakubu Victor – N83,000; Garba Isah – N409,000; Alex Ali – N212,000; Ayuba Samson – N153,000; Nasiru Inuwa – N269,600 and Yahaya Abdullahi – N95,000 and the total amount of money defrauded is N4,083,850k.
He said the offence is contrary to section 27(C)(1)(2)(3)(4), (b)(5),20,22,13, of the cybercrime prohibition, prevention CTC act, 2015 and 1(a)(b)(2) of the advance fee fraud and other forms of related offences, 2006 of the FRN.
When the case was mentioned in court, the Presiding Magistrate Abdulmumin Mamman, asked the accused if he understood the case against him which he answered in the affirmative.
The prosecutor asked for time to seek legal advice which was agreed and the Magistrate ordered the accused to be remanded in a correctional service facility.
