By Talatu Maiwada
The Police, on Monday, arraigned a 25-year-old business woman, Fatima Dikko, before a Kado Grade I Area Court, Abuja, for allegedly cheating business owners and absconding with their property.
The police charged Dikko, who resides at Arushe Street, Wuse Zone 1, Abuja, with criminal breach of trust and cheating.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Prosecution Counsel, Stanley Nwafoaku, told the court that on March 24, at about 6:00 p.m., Mr Joseph Ayuba, of Kolda Street, Wuse 2, Abuja, reported the matter at Wuse divisional police station.
Nwafoaku said that the defendant went to the complainant’s hotel, located at Kolda Street, Wuse 2 and lodged for two nights at the cost of N46,000.
He said that in the process of making payment, the defendant used the current cashless policy as an excuse and opted for transfer.
The prosecution counsel further stated that Dikko collected the hotel account number and criminally generated a fake credit alert, which she deliberately sent to the complainant.
He said that during police investigation, the defendant admitted to the crime, adding that all efforts to recover the money proved abortive.
According to him, the offences contravene the provisions of Sections 312 and 322 of the Penal Code Law.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Dikko was also arraigned in the same court for alleged criminal breach of trust, cheating and assault.
The defendant also pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecution counsel, Stanley Nwafoaku, told the court that on March 24, the complainants, Mr Oyi Monday and Miss Juliana Uroko, of Kaida Street, Wuse 2, Abuja, reported the matter at Wuse police station.
Nwafoaku, said that on March 9 and March 10, the defendant went to the complainants’ shops, deceived them and collected cosmetics worth N209,600.
He said the defendant relied on cashless policy and requested to transfer the money to their various account numbers, adding that in the process, Dikko criminally generated fake credit alerts and sent same to the complainants.
The prosecution counsel told the court that the defendant switched off her phone afterwards and absconded, until she was arrested by the police.
He said that during interrogation, the defendant slapped one of the officers without provocation.
Nwafoaku said that the offences contravened the provisions of Sections 312, 322 and 265 of the Penal Code Law.
The Defense Counsel, Simon Cornelius, made an oral bail application, citing Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 158 of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, assuring that the defendant would not jump bail, if granted.
Cornelius told the court that the defendant is a nursing mother and a Muslim observing Ramadan fast, with a reasonable surety for her bail, if granted.
The Judge, Muhammed Wakili, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N100,000 and N300,000 respectively, with one surety for each of the charges.
Wakili ordered that the surety must provide a BVN print out, a recent passport photograph and a valid identification card, which must be verified by the court registrar.
The uudge, thereafter, adjourned the matter till May 23 for hearing. (NAN)
