By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A fraudster in Sokoto State called Mr Bashar Umar Abdullahi, otherwise known as Abdu Abdullahi and Bashir Abdullahi, has been jailed for one year.
The convict was sent straight to prison custody by Justice Bello Duwale of the Sokoto State High Court, Sokoto, without an option of fine for stealing N15,000 from his victim via a fraudulent transfer at an ATM gallery.
The convict, it was gathered, specialised on scamming unsuspecting Automated Teller Machine (ATM) users who run into difficult transactions at ATM galleries mostly at the banking premises.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Sokoto Zonal Office arraigned the convict on September 23, 2019, on amended one-count charge, bordering on cheating and defrauding an unsuspecting victim to the tune of N15, 000.00 at ATM gallery.
The charge reads: “That you Bashar Umar Abdullahi (a.k.a Abdu Abdullahi and Bashir Abdullahi) on or about the 29th March 2019 at Sokoto State High Court, within the jurisdiction of the Sokoto State High Court with intend to defraud, did obtain the sum of 15,000,00 from one Abubakar Umar Lugga by fraudulently deceiving him and transferred the said sum from his First Bank Account to one Aminu Ahmed’s Bank Account with Ecobank No:3050002223 using his ATM card when you offered to assist him to check his balance at First Bank Branch, Gusau Road Sokoto, and you thereby committed the offence of cheating, contrary to Section 320 of the Penal Code Law and Punishable under Section 322 of the same Law.”