Justice Peter Kekemeke of an FCT High Court on Tuesday convicted a false investigator, Mohammed Momoh for defrauding Mrs Mario Al-Makura, wife of former governor of Nasarawa State.
Kekemeke convicted Momoh based on the charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, bordering on false pretences.
The judge held that the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt to win the case after calling three witnesses.
He said, “The prosecution has proved their case beyond reasonable doubt and subsequently, the defendant is hereby convicted,” he said.
Meanwhile, the defendant’s counsel applied to the court for a date for the sentencing.
The prosecution did not oppose the application.
Justice Kekemeke then adjourned until March 12 for sentencing.
He, however, directed that since the defendant has been convicted, he should be remanded in the Correctional Service pending sentencing.
The anti-graft agency arrested Momoh in December 2017 for attempting to defraud Mairo Al Makura.
The EFCC alleged that the suspect while posing as a private investigator from the “Villa” approached the wife of the governor with a proposal to help stop a purported investigation of two accounts belonging to the governor.
The anti-graft agency said Momoh claimed that he came across information regarding the two accounts in 2011.
The EFCC said the defendant requested N8 million but was offered N6 million. Not clear about the proposal, the governor’s family contacted the EFCC and were asked to play along with the defendant.
The defendant was arrested during a sting operation after he collected a marked N2 million from Al Makura.
According to the EFCC, the offence is contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14 of 2006.
The one-count charge read as follows, “Muhammed Momoh, on or about the 22nd day of December 2017 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did with intent to defraud, obtain the sum of N2m from one Hajia Mairo Tanko Al-Makura through Idris Ahmed Almakura under the pretext that you are a private investigator with capacity to help the said Hajia Mairo Tanko Al-Makura resolve her case with the EFCC which you knew to be false.”
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against him.