Businessman jailed for N7.6m fraud in Kano

A Kano State High Court, has convicted and sentenced a businessman, Jamilu Sule, to a seven years imprisonment for defrauding business associates N7.6 million.

The Kano Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Sule before Justice Dije Abdu Aboki on a one-count charge of obtaining by false pretence.

Mohammed Shariff Ahmad, Ibrahim Dauda Abdullahi, and Tajuddeen Abdulrahaman had earlier petitioned EFCC against the defendant.

According to a statement issued by the anti-graft agency’s spokesperson, Tony Orilade, during the defendant’s first trial in 2019, he was accused of collecting goods worth N7,677,000 on credit under the guise that he would supply them to supermarkets.

“The commission’s investigations revealed that the defendant is in the habit of collecting goods in the name of supplying them to supermarkets, but would divert the goods for his personal use,” Orilade stated.

He added that the commission further charged the accused before Justice Dije Aboki on a four-count charge of obtaining by false pretence.

One of the charges read: “That you Jamilu Sule, between July to August 2018 at Singer Market Kano, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, deceitfully obtained some provisions and food items worth N7,677,000 only being properties of Mohammed Shariff Ahmad, Ibrahim Dauda Abdullahi and Tajuddeen Abdulrahaman, committing cheating in respect of the said goods and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 322 of the same Law.”

Sule, however, pleaded “not guilty” when he was first arraigned on May 21, 2019.

During the trial, the prosecution counsel, Micheal Ojo, called four witnesses and closed his case, while the defendant opted for a no case submission.

The Star