A Kano man Bulama Abdulrahman has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine for posing as an auctioneer assigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to sell some properties forfeited to the Federal Government on the Commission’s behalf.
He was jailed after facing trial on two-count charges bordering on intent to defraud and obtaining under false pretences to the tune of N35,000.000( Thirty-five Million Naira only) before Justice Nasiru Saminu of the Kano State High Court.
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.
In view of his plea, prosecution counsel, Musa Isah, took the cases to full trial during which he presented three witnesses while the defendant stood as lone witness in his defence.
Upon conclusion of the case, Justice Saminu, convinced by the weight of evidence presented by Isah, found the defendant guilty as charged on count two and acquitted him on count one.
Subsequently, Isah prayed the court to convict the defendant accordingly.
The defence counsel pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy adding that the defendant is a Phd student at Nasarawa State University.
Accordingly, Justice Saminu convicted the defendant and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine.
The judge further ordered that the defendant pays the sum of N35,000,000 (Thirty Five Million Naira only) as restitution to the victim. The court also ordered that, for any failure to pay the restitution, the defendant will serve an additional prison term of seven years.
Bulama’s journey to prison began when the Commission received a petition alleging that he posed as an auctioneer assigned by the EFCC to sell some properties that were forfeited to the Federal Government on the Commission’s behalf. In the process, Bulama allegedly obtained a sum of N35,000,000 from his victims under the guise of selling them a truck and an uncompleted building in Kano.
Bulama is a serial fraudster who was investigated by the Commission and was subsequently convicted by the Kano State High Court on June 28, 2021 for a similar offence bordering on obtaining by false pretence.
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