Hamzat Bashar, a resident of Sokoto, has been sentenced to 70
years in prison for defrauding several persons of a total of
N29,865,000.
![image](/2020/10/lawreport.jpg")
Bashar, who was sentenced in Sokoto on Thursday, was arraigned
by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for
defrauding victims while promoting an investment scheme.
![image](/2021/01/payne-alex.jpg")
According to a statement by the commission on Thursday, Bello
Duwale, justice of the Sokoto state high court, sentenced Bashar to
70 years imprisonment without an option of fine.
The Sokoto zonal office of the EFCC is said to have arraigned
him on November 7, 2019 on a “12-count amended charge, bordering on
conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence”.
“That you, Hamzat Bashar Muhammad, Hindatu Bashar (now at large)
and Hamga Investment Resources Limited sometime within the months
of June to December 2018 at Sokoto, within the jurisdiction of this
honourable court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the total sum
of N23,760,000 (twenty-three million, seven hundred and sixty
naira) from Hadiza Aliyu (for herself and other victims) when you
falsely represented yourselves to her, to be running a genuine
business investment of gold and herbs, a pretence you knew to be
false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a)
of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of
2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act,” count one
of the charge reads.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The EFCC said Habila Jonathan, the prosecution counsel, had
called 10 witnesses and tendered several documents to prove the
case against the defendant.
“Delivering judgment today, Justice Duwale ruled that the EFCC
has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt; convicted the
defendant on counts 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, and 12, and
sentenced him to seven years in prison without an option of fine on
each of the 10 counts, which will run concurrently,” the statement
reads.
“In addition, the Judge ordered the convict to restitute the
total sum of N29,135,000 (twenty-nine million, one hundred and
thirty-five thousand naira) to the victims through the EFCC.”
The anti-graft agency said the commission received a petition
from Imran Ahmed and several other victims, alleging that Bashar
had defrauded them “in a phony investment scheme in which they were
promised 20 percent returns on investment every month and dividends
at the end of the year”.
The commission added that “after investing various sums of
money, they neither received the 20% returns nor got any
dividends”.
Hamzat Bashar, a resident of Sokoto, has been sentenced to 70
years in prison for defrauding several persons of a total of
N29,865,000.
Bashar, who was sentenced in Sokoto on Thursday, was arraigned
by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for
defrauding victims while promoting an investment scheme.
According to a statement by the commission on Thursday, Bello
Duwale, justice of the Sokoto state high court, sentenced Bashar to
70 years imprisonment without an option of fine.
The Sokoto zonal office of the EFCC is said to have arraigned
him on November 7, 2019 on a “12-count amended charge, bordering on
conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence”.
“That you, Hamzat Bashar Muhammad, Hindatu Bashar (now at large)
and Hamga Investment Resources Limited sometime within the months
of June to December 2018 at Sokoto, within the jurisdiction of this
honourable court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the total sum
of N23,760,000 (twenty-three million, seven hundred and sixty
naira) from Hadiza Aliyu (for herself and other victims) when you
falsely represented yourselves to her, to be running a genuine
business investment of gold and herbs, a pretence you knew to be
false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a)
of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of
2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act,” count one
of the charge reads.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The EFCC said Habila Jonathan, the prosecution counsel, had
called 10 witnesses and tendered several documents to prove the
case against the defendant.
“Delivering judgment today, Justice Duwale ruled that the EFCC
has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt; convicted the
defendant on counts 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, and 12, and
sentenced him to seven years in prison without an option of fine on
each of the 10 counts, which will run concurrently,” the statement
reads.
“In addition, the Judge ordered the convict to restitute the
total sum of N29,135,000 (twenty-nine million, one hundred and
thirty-five thousand naira) to the victims through the EFCC.”
The anti-graft agency said the commission received a petition
from Imran Ahmed and several other victims, alleging that Bashar
had defrauded them “in a phony investment scheme in which they were
promised 20 percent returns on investment every month and dividends
at the end of the year”.
The commission added that “after investing various sums of
money, they neither received the 20% returns nor got any
dividends”.