The Bauchi Police Command yesterday arraigned a man, Shirhabil Abubakar, before a Chief Magistrate’s Court in the state for allegedly defrauding 20 policemen of N4.08 million.
Police prosecutor, Inspector Yusuf Usman told the court presided over by Chief Magistrate Haruna Abdulmumin that Abubakar went to the Police Divisional Headquarters in Ningi Local Government Area and impersonated a staff and payroll officer of a microfinance bank.
According to him, the suspect fraudulently advertised the bank’s instant loan policy to 20 police officers attached to the Division.
They were said to have applied, requesting various amounts with all necessary information given to Umar M Nasir, an accomplice of Abubakar.
The prosecutor said Abubakar then fraudulently processed and disbursed overpayment into their various bank accounts.
He said, “After he (Abubakar) disbursed overpayment, he now called the officers and told them that it was a system error, asking them to refund the overpayment pay to some individual accounts, saying the owners of the account are their payroll officers.”
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The prosecutor gave the names of the police officers defrauded with the amount paid to Abubakar 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,
Others are Halilu Mohammed, N206,000, 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 A, li N212,000, Ayuba Samson N153,000, Nasiru Inuwa N269,600, and Yahaya Aoffensei N95,000 and the total amount of money defrauded is N4,083,850k.
He said the offense is contrary to sections 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 another form of related offenses, 2006 of the FRN.
The presiding Magistrate 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 given, while the Magistrate ordered the accused to be remanded in a correctional service facility.