AISHA ABUBAKAR
About 21 Police officers of various ranks were allegedly swindled to the tune of N100m by a fraud syndicate in the guise of promotion using the office of the Deputy Inspector General of Police in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the officers, comprising both serving and now retired ones, are now counting their losses having realized that they had been defrauded by the members of the syndicate.
So far, two members of the fraud syndicate, Nura Mohammed and Abubakar Iliyasu, have been arrested and charged before the Wuse Zone II Magistrate Court, in Abuja, for the alleged fraud.
The suspects, whose addresses were not disclosed, were arraigned before Magistrate Chukwuemeka Nweke on three counts of criminal conspiracy, cheating and deception.
The Prosecution Counsel, Abdulrashid Isyaku-Sidi, told the Court that the first defendant, Mohammed on 24th July 2023, presented himself as CSP Wale, Personal Assistant (PA) to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Olawale.
He stated that Mohammed and one Ismaila Ayedade now at large, told the officers that they were from the Department of Operations and Director of Promotion, Police Service Commission.
“The defendants deceived the officers by using posting, promotion, auction of SUV vehicles and exoneration from disciplinary action to defraud them to the tune of over N100 million.”
“The affected officers paid the said money into various account numbers provided by the defendants,” he said.
He stated that th alleged offence contravened the provisions of Sections 97, 322 and 324 of the Penal Code, which attracts several years of imprisonment.
However, they pleaded not guilty when they were arraigned.
The prosecutor then asked the Court to give a date for hearing since they pleaded not guilty to enable the Police to prove that they actually committed the alleged offence.
The Presiding Magistrate, Mr. Nweke, granted them bail in the sum of N2 Million each with two sureties in like sum, that must reside within the jurisdiction of the Court.
The Court ordered that one of the sureties must be a civil servant in grade level 15 and their addresses be verified by the Court.
The matter was adjourned till 17th October, 2023, for hearing while the defendants were remanded in custody at the Correctional Centre pending when they will perfect their bail conditions.