By Patience Yakubu
A 43-year-old farmer, Musa Gideon, was on Tuesday docked in a Kaduna High Court for alleged N6 million fraud.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) charged Gideon with obtaining money by false pretences and forgery.
The EFCC Counsel, Precious Onyeneho, told the court that the defendant committed the offence sometime in March 2021.
Onyeneho informed the court that the complainant, Mr Hosea Friday, petitioned the EFCC alleging that Gideon sold five plots of land to him located at Maraba Rido, Chikun Local Government Area of the state.
The prosecution said the defendant sold the plots of land at the cost of N6million, with claim that the title documents were certified by the Kaduna State Geographic Information Service (KADGIS).
Onyeneho said the complainant later discovered that he had been duped, as the land was already being developed by someone else.
He said when he approached the person developing the land, he claimed that he was the rightful owner of the land and showed him a Certificate of Occupancy from KADGIS.
The prosecution said that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 271 and 306 of the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017.
He pleaded not guilty.
Justice Darius Khobo admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N500,000, with two sureties in like sum.
Khobo ordered that each surety must own a landed property and must deposit two passport photographs with the court’s registrar as well as the defendant’s passport.
The judge adjourned the matter until June 23 for trial.(NAN)
