FAKE AUCTIONEER JAILED SEVEN YEARS OVER N35M FRAUD IN KANO

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has secured the conviction of one Bulama Abdulrahman over a fake auction scheme involving N35m in Kano State. EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, said Justice Nasiru Saminu of the Kano State High Court also sentenced Bulama Abdulrahman to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine. Oyewale disclosed in a statement that Abdulrahman posed as a fake auctioneer assigned by the EFCC to sell some properties, which the commission caused to be forfeited to the Federal Government. He said the convict was jailed upon convictions on a two-count charges bordering on intent to defraud and obtaining under false pretences the sum of N35,000.000(Thirty-five Million Naira only) One of the charges reads: “That you Abdulrahman Bulama on or about June, 2023 in Kano within the jurisdiction of the Kano State High Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N20,000,000 (Twenty Million Naira only) from one Safiyanu Abdullahi of Tauraro and Property Limited under the false pretense that you are an auctioneer and you had the consent and authority of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to auction a fenced uncompleted building at Rijiyar Zaki Kano, which pretence you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offenses Act, 2006.” The defendant pleaded not guilty to the two- count charges when they were read to him.