Fake Legal Practitioner Docked For Alleged 15m Fraud

A 56-year-old businessman, Umar Muhammed, was on Tuesday docked in a Zuba Upper Area Court, Abuja for alleged N15 million fraud

The police charged Muhammed, who resides in Mararaba, Nasarawa State with criminal breach of trust, cheating, impersonation and forgery.

The Prosecution Counsel, Mr Chinedu Ogada, told the court that on the Nov. 19 the complainant Pastor Jude Valentine of suite D3 Upper Grace Plaza Utako Abuja reported the matter at the Wuse Zone 3 Police Station.

Ogada said that the defendant criminally presented himself as a legal practitioner and collected N5 million from the complainant to procure the Right-of-occupancy for plot 15/9 Mabuchi Abuja.

Ogada told the court that the defendant presented a forged document to the complainant as allocation paper to operate a Green Area.

The prosecution said that during the police investigation, the defendant could not give a satisfactory account of himself and the offence contravened sections 312, 322,307 and 364 of the Penal Code.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the offence.

The judge, Ismaila Abdullahi, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N2.5m with two sureties in like sum.

Abdullahi, ordered that the two sureties must be level 12 civil servants, in FCT.

He said that sureties must reside within the court jurisdiction and must produce reasonable means of identification.

He adjourned the matter until 17 Feb. 2022. (NAN)