A Kano State High Court has sentenced a fraudster, Bulama Abdulrahman, to seven years in prison without an option of fine for defrauding unsuspecting victims of N35 million under false pretenses.
Justice Nasiru Saminu delivered the ruling after finding Abdulrahman guilty of impersonating an auctioneer assigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to sell forfeited properties on behalf of the federal government.
Abdulrahman was arraigned on a two-count charge of obtaining money under false pretenses and intent to defraud.
He was accused of collecting N20 million from Safiyanu Abdullahi of Tauraro and Property Limited, claiming he had the authority to auction a fenced uncompleted building at Rijiyar Zaki, Kano.
Despite pleading not guilty, the prosecution, led by Musa Isah, presented three witnesses, while Abdulrahman stood as the sole witness in his defense.
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The court found him guilty on count two but acquitted him on count one.
Justice Saminu sentenced Abdulrahman to seven years imprisonment and ordered him to pay N35 million in restitution to his victims.
The court further ruled that failure to make the repayment would result in an additional seven-year prison term.
The defense counsel had pleaded for leniency, citing that the convict was a PhD student at Nasarawa State University.
Abdulrahman’s fraudulent activities were uncovered after a petition was filed against him at the EFCC. Investigations revealed he posed as an EFCC-authorized auctioneer to swindle victims by promising to sell them a truck and an uncompleted building in Kano.
This is not his first conviction, as he was previously sentenced by the same court in 2021 for a similar fraud scheme.
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