On February 22, 2023, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) Lagos Zonal Command brought one Alhaji Usman Abubakar and the Young Alhaji Foundation before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offenses Court in Ikeja, Lagos, on five counts allegedly related to fraud and obtaining money under false pretenses totalling N950 million.
“Alhaji Usman Abubakar, Young Alhaji Foundation, and Dr Abu Omer Fawzi (at large) conspired among yourselves to obtain the sum of N950,000,000 from Ano Farms Limited under the pretense that you had the Dollar equivalent of the said sum, which pretense you knew to be false,” reads one of the counts.
Another count states: “Alhaji Usman Abubakar and Young Alhaji Foundation attempted to dishonestly convert the sum of N180,000,000.00 (One Hundred and Eighty Million Naira), property of Ano Farms Limited to the use of Abdullahi Mohammed on the 20th of September 2022, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court.”
On the counts, he entered a “not guilty” plea.
To call witnesses and present pertinent documents to support the prosecution’s case against the defendants, the prosecuting attorney, Bilikisu Buhari, asked the court for a trial date.
We further ask that the defendant be detained at the Nigerian Correctional Center pending the outcome of the trial, the lawyer continued.
Thus, he begged the judge to remand the defendant to the EFCC’s custody while the defendant’s bail motion was being heard.
He said, “I sincerely request that the defendant be remanded at the EFCC custody.”
The court denied a request to submit an oral application for bail because the trial judge declared that “this court is a court of records.”
The prosecution was then served with the bail application in open court.
The defendant was detained in the custody of the EFCC until the outcome of his bail plea, which Judge Dada adjourned until Wednesday, March 1, 2023.
