The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) closed its case of alleged fraud of N260 million against a former Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara state, Magaji Garba, in the Superior Court of the Federal Capital Territory, in Jabi , Abuja, on Tuesday.
EFCC prosecutor Sylvanus Tahir put the prosecution case on hold after the prosecution’s fifth witness, Mathias Hamawa, EFCC investigating officer and inspector, finished testifying and was questioned by the defense.
The defendant was supposed to open his defense in the next process, but the EFCC said in a statement issued on the process on Tuesday that the defense chose to present a commission without a case.
Choosing to file a caseless presentation implies that you would be asking the court to dismiss the case on the grounds that the evidence adduced by the EFCC did not allegedly link you to the alleged crimes.
PREMIUM TIMES had reported that Mr. Garba, a teacher, was tried before a judge of the Federal Capital Territory High, Jabi, Abuja, Maryam Hassan-Aliyu.
Mr. Garba is accused of extorting some N260 million from a contractor under the pretext of awarding him a N3billion contract for the fence around the university’s perimeter wall.
According to Mr. Uwujaren, one of the offenses is contrary to section 1 (1) (a) and punishable under section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offenses Act 2006 Mr. Garba denied all five charges, pleading not guilty to all of them during his arraignment in October.
Testifying as the fifth prosecution witness on Tuesday, Hamawa, who was part of the EFCC team investigating the case, told the court that at times in 2018, the defendant promised to award the plaintiff with a fence wall contract. parameters of the Federal University, Gusau. in the sum of N3 billion.
He then reportedly demanded 250 million naira from the author through a third party, Aliyu Burka, an engineer and procurement officer at the university.
The witness further told the court that the defendant was awarded the dollar equivalent of 250 million naira, EFCC said in a statement issued by its spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren.
The judge adjourned the matter until February 10, 2022.
Read the EFCC statement in its entirety:
EFCC press release
Alleged N260m Fraud: EFCC Introduces Another Witness and Closes Case Against Ex-VC
On Tuesday, December 14, 2021, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, presented the fifth prosecution witness, in the ongoing trial of Professor Magaji Garba, former Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Gusau, before Judge Maryam Hassan Aliyu of the Territory of the Federal Capital. High Court, Jabi, Abuja with a count of five counts, bordering on obtaining money under false pretenses and forgery in the amount of more than N260m.
The defendant allegedly extorted various sums from a contractor under the pretext of awarding him a N3 billion contract for the fencing of the University’s perimeter wall.
The offense is contrary to section 1 (1) (a) and is punishable under section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offenses Act of 2006.
In today’s session, the witness, an investigator from the Commission, Inspector Mathias Hamawa who was part of the team that investigated the case, informed the Court that at some point in 2018, the accused promised to grant the complainant a Gusau Federal University parameter wall fencing contract in the amount of N3 billion, and demanded N250 million from the plaintiff through a third party, engineer Aliyu Burka, the University’s procurement officer.
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The witness further told the court that the defendant received the dollar equivalent of 250 million naira.
“At that time, sir, no contracts of any nature were awarded to Ministaco Nigeria Limited. Realizing that the VC’s mandate would end in February 2021 and that there were still no signs of any contracts, the plaintiff, Alhaji Shehu Umar Sambo, submitted a petition to the EFCC, ”he said.
Upon receiving the petition, he said that the EFCC took action by contacting the University, the Federal Ministry of Education and the Trust Fund for Tertiary Education to determine if they were aware of the alleged contract. All responded denying knowledge of said contract.
The letters written to the different government institutions were presented as evidence and admitted as annexes 6a, 6b and 6c.
While questioning the witness, defense attorney SM Imam tried to find out how much the EFCC recovered from the defendant. “I can’t really remember, but it’s around N130m,” the witness said.
At the end of the cross-examination, the prosecutor, Sylvanus Tahir, informed the court of his intention not to call any more witnesses.
The defense, for its part, indicated its intention to move a submission without a case, arguing that the prosecution has not established the ingredient of the crime to justify its client opening his defense. Judge Aliyu adjourned the case until
February 10, 2022 Wilson Uwujaren Head, Media & Publicity December 14, 2021