The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC today arraigned two bankers, Freeman Austin Jacob and Umar Abdullahi and two others – Ahmed Bashir and Abdulhakim Musa (aka Gandu)Â Â before Justice Simon Akpah Amobeda of the Federal High Court, Kano on a three-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.
The defendants allegedly conspired among themselves to produce an ATM card in the name of one Alhaji Sani Muntari and used same to steal the sum of (N20,000,000) Twenty Million Naira Only from his bank.
READ ALSO:Â EFCC Arrests 33 Internet Fraud Suspects In Ilorin, Maiduguri
The defendants perpetrated the fraud by using the SIM card of the account holder which was stolen by Bashir, the third defendant, to produce an ATM card with the help of the first and second defendants.
One of the charges reads, “That You, Freeman Austin Jacob, Umar Abdullahi, sometime in February 2020, at Kano within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, connived with Ahmed Bashir and Abdulhakim Musa (aka Gandu) to prime and issue ATM card from UBA account no 2062903187 belonging to one Alhaji Sani Mutari without the knowledge or consent of the said customer and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 14 (7) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc,) Act, 2015.
The investigation traced some of the proceeds of the theft to the bank account of the fourth defendant, Abdulkarim Musa, a friend to the third defendant, Ahmed Bashir.
Counsel representing the 1st and 2nd defendants made an oral bail application on behalf of his clients which was opposed by the prosecution counsel on the grounds that the application ought to be formal.
READ ALSO:Â EFCC Arrests Former Women Affairs Minister, Pauline Tallen Over N2bn Fraud
After listening to the submissions of the parties, Justice Amobeda agreed with the prosecution that bail applications should be made formally as the court is a court of record.
