By Dipo Olowookere
A court sitting in Sokoto State has ordered a businessman, Mr Hamzat Muhammad Bashar, to refund the N29.1 billion he collected from different investors.
Mr Bashar had lured some persons, including Ms Hadiza Aliyu, from parting with their money with a promise that they would receive a 20 per cent return on investment (RoI) every month and dividends at the end of the year.
He had claimed he was into the business of gold and herbs, but after investing various sums of money, Mr Bashar did not give the investors the 20 per cent returns he promised or the dividends.
This prompted the victims to involve the Economic and Finance Crimes Commission (EFCC), which looked into the matter and arraigned him after an investigation.
He was dragged before the court on November 7, 2019, on a 12-count amended charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence.
One of the charges read, “That you Hamzat Bashar Muhammad, Hindatu Bashar (now at large) and Hamga Investment Resources Limited, sometimes within the months of June to December 2018 at Sokoto within the jurisdiction of this court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the total sum of N23,760,000 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.”
After he pleaded not guilty to all the charges, the trial commenced and on Thursday, April 1, 2021, Justice Bello Duwale of the Sokoto State High Court, found him guilty on 10 of the 12 charges, convicted and sentenced him to 7 years each to run concurrently.
Adedapo Adesanya