Two State Shari’a Court judges, a cashier, and 16 additional financial registrars were ordered to be detained in a detention facility on Thursday for alleged theft of N580.2 million by a Kano Chief Magistrates’ Court.
Bashir Kurawa, Saadatu Umar, Tijjani Abdullahi, Maryam Jibrin-Garba, Shamsu Sani, and Hussaina Imam were charged with five counts of criminal conspiracy, joint act, criminal breach of trust by a public servant, theft, and forgery, according to the police.
Sani Ali Muhammad, Sani Buba-Aliyu, Bashir Baffa, Garzali Wada, Hadi Tijjani Mu’azu, Alkasim Abdullahi, Yusuf Abdullahi, Mustapha Bala Ibrahim, Jafar Ahmad, Adamu Balarabe, Aminu Abdulkadir, Abdullahi Zango, and Garba Yusuf are also among those honoured.
Chief Magistrate Mustapha Sa’ad-Datti, ordered the remand of the defendants and adjourned the matter until Feb.1, for hearing.
Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Mr Zahraddeen Kofar-Mata told the court that an official complaint was received by the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission from the State Ministry of Justice on Aug. 20, 2021.
He alleged that between 2020 and 021, Imam used her position as a cashier at the State Shari’a Court of Appeal, and conspired with four others and one Suleiman now at large, to forge letterhead papers of the Sharia Court of Appeal.
“The defendants forged the signatures of the two signatories to the Stanbic IBTC bank account 0020667440 belonging to the Kano State Sharia Court of Appeal and stole N484 million.
Kofar-Mata alleged that the defendants fraudulently authorised the bank to transfer the amount to various bank accounts without the consent of the authorised persons.
He also alleged that from 2018 to 2021, the defendants criminally conspired, breached the trust as a public servant, acted jointly and create 15 fake civil servants’ death benefit files and fraudulently siphoned the sum of N96.2 million.
“The N96.2 million was remitted by the Kano State Pension Fund Trustee to the bank accounts of Kano State Sharia Court Appeal.
“The defendants stole the said amount through eight Sharia Courts under the Kano State Sharia Court Appeal without the consent of the authorizing authority”
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
According to the prosecutor, the offence contravened the provisions of sections 97, 79, 315, 287 and 363 of the Penal Code.
The Defence Counsel, Malam Garzali Datti, prayed the court exercises its jurisdiction judiciously and admit the defendants on bail.
He argued that the application was brought pursuant to sections 35 and 36 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,1999 as amended,168 and 172 of Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2019 Kano.