The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has arraigned the Education Secretary of Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, Ishaka Abdullahi, before the state high court for fraud.
He was arraigned before Justice Malami Umar Dogondaji on a six-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N429,000.
The EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, in a statement on Wednesday, said Abdullahi is facing trial for alleged fraud in the school feeding programme.
He said the commission’s investigations showed that one Hassi Abdullahi, who was appointed one of the cooks in the programme and had a Union Bank account number 0077129142, died on March 18, 2019, yet funds were still being channelled to her account from the HGSFP account, totalling N429, 000 which was fraudulently withdrawn.
According to the statement, count one of the charge reads: “That you, Ishaka Abdullahi on or about the 16 November, 2018 at Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did obtain the sum of N135,000.00 (One hundred and thirty-five thousand naira) from Hassi Abdullahi’s account No. 0077129142, domiciled in Union Bank Plc by false pretence.”
Abdullahi, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecution counsel, S. H. Sa’ad, subsequently asked for a trial date and for Abdullahi to be remanded in prison custody.
Defence counsel, Ibrahim Abdullahi, prayed the court to grant the defendant bail on the grounds that he was standing trial in the same court on a different charge.
Justice Dogondaji granted the accused bail on the same conditions that were applied in the earlier charge for which he was facing prosecution in the same court and adjourned the matter till October 12, 2020, for the commencement of trial, the statement said.
