The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned one Abubakar Iliyasu Saminu before Justice Nasiru Saminu of the Kano State High Court over an alleged N31.25 million land fraud.
The Kano Zonal Directorate of the anti-graft agency brought a one-count charge against the defendant, who is accused of obtaining the sum of N31,250,000 from one Muhuyi Adamu under false pretence.
According to the EFCC via its X handle on Monday, the funds were paid through both cash and a Zenith Bank account for 91 plots of land purportedly located at Panshekara NEPA in Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State.
Investigations revealed that Saminu falsely presented himself as the rightful owner of the land and sold it to Muhuyi Adamu, who in turn sold it to another buyer, Nuruddeen Suleiman Ishaq.
However, when Nuruddeen began developing the land, the actual owner surfaced with the original title documents, prompting an investigation that uncovered the use of forged documents in the transaction.
The charge reads, “That you Abubakar Iliyasu Saminu, between August 2023 and February 2024 at Kano, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court and with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N31,250,000 from Muhuyi Adamu through your bank account with Zenith Bank and cash under the false pretense that you are the owner of 91 plots of land at Panshekara NEPA in Kumbotso Local Government, which was subsequently sold to Nuruddeen 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 Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”;;
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Prosecution counsel, Douglas I. Gift, requested a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendant. However, defence counsel, Nasir Abdulrahman, applied for bail, which was granted by the court.
Justice Saminu granted the defendant bail in the sum of N25 million, with two sureties. One of the sureties must own a landed property within Kano metropolis with a valid Certificate of Occupancy, to be deposited with the court.
The surety is also required to submit a written undertaking that the property will be forfeited should the defendant jump bail.
The case has been adjourned to June 25, 2025, for commencement of trial.
