A High Court in Maiduguri, Borno state, presided over by Justice Aisha Kumaliya on Thursday, convicted and sentenced one Kolo Ngwari to one year imprisonment for cheating.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Head, Media & Publicity of EFCC, Mr Dele Oyewale.
According to Oyewale, Ngwari was re-arraigned by the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a one count amended charge for the offence of cheating to the tune of N1,650,000.00 (One Million Six Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira).
The count reads: “That you Kolo Ngwari, sometime in August, 2018 in Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, at Pompomari bye pass layout, Maiduguri, Borno State dishonestly induced Alfred Buba Mbaya to deliver to you the sum of N1, 650,000.00 (One Million Six Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) under the guise that the said amount represents payment for a plot of land with grant No. BO/707, at Pompomari bye Pass, Maiduguri, Borno State and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 (a) and punishable under Section 322 of the Penal Code Cap 102 Laws of Borno State.”
The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge prepared against him by the EFCC.
Counsel for the prosecution, Faruku Muhammad prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendant accordingly, while defence counsel M. A Sani urged the court to temper justice with mercy.
Justice Kumaliya thereafter convicted and sentenced Ngwari to one year imprisonment with an option of fine of N200,000.00 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira).
The convict’s road to the Correctional Centre began when he collected the sum of N1,650,000 from Alfred Buba Mbaya for a plot of land. He neither delivered the land nor returned the money to the victim.
