ARRAIGNMENT: EFCC Arraigns Land Agent Over N300m Fraud

ARRAIGNMENT: EFCC Arraigns Land Agent Over N300m Fraud
Ekele Peter Agbo
— Dec 1, 2015 11:24 am | Leave a comment
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned a land agent, Alhaji Ibrahim Kamba, before Justice Mohammed Balami of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Gwagwalada, Abuja, on a nine-count charge bordering on forgery, fraud and obtaining money by false pretence.
The accused person allegedly obtained N300 million from First Choice Property Limited for the sale of a property located at No. 175, Dape District, Abuja.
Kamba was said to have forged the document for the sale of the property, a plot of land, using his company, Kamba Investment Limited.
When the EFCC moved for the charges filed on April 21, 2015, to be read out to the accused, his lawyer, O. J Aboje, protested that his client does not understand English language, and is only fluent in Hausa Language.
But the prosecution lawyer, Salisu Majibadi, opted to provide an interpreter from the EFCC, which the defence lawyer rejected on the grounds that it is in the jurisdiction of the court to provide an interpreter if need be.
Count one of the charge read to the accused after the court had appointed an interpreter reads: “That you, Ibrahim Kamba and Kamba Investment Limited, in 2011, within the High Court of FCT, Gwagwalada division, with the intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N300 million by falsely selling a landed property that does not belong to you and thereby committed an offence punishable under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
The accused person pleaded not guilty to all the nine-count charge after it was interpreted to him.
The defence lawyer prayed the court to grant his client bail while the prosecution lawyer opposed the bail application, claiming that the accused jumped bail in the past.
Justice Balami adjourned the case to December 1, 2015 for ruling on the bail application and ordered that the accused be remanded in the EFCC custody pending the adjourned ruling.