Court Jails Father Of 12 Over Land Fraud In Sokoto

…Says This is My First Time

A father of twelve, Aminu Malami, has been sentenced to three years imprisonment for N450, 000 land fraud in Sokoto State.

Malami was convicted on Thursday by Justice Muhammad Muhammad of the State High Court, Sokoto.

He was, however, given an option of fine of N30,000.

The convict was prosecuted by the Sokoto zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) on one-count amended charge of cheating to the tune of the said amount.

The charge read, “That you Aminu Malami (being an employee of Sokoto Central Market) sometime in June, 2019 at Sokoto within the judicial division of the High Court of Justice of Sokoto, dishonestly induced one Abdulrahman Abdullahi to pay the total sum of N450, 000.00 (Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) out of which you were given N225,000.00 (Two Hundred and Twenty Five Thousand Naira) as your share by deceiving him that a small portion of a vacant land situated at Kalambaina Motor Park, attached to Sokoto Central Market is available for sale and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 310 of the Sokoto State Penal Code Law 2019 and punishable under Section 311 of the same Law.”

Malami pleaded guilty to the charge following which prosecution counsel, Habila Jonathan, asked the court to convict and sentence him, while defence counsel, Rukayyat Mohammed, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, as her client was married and had 12 children and aged parents under his care.

According to her, the convict was a first time offender and has restituted the victim the sum of N225, 000.00 that accrued to him from the proceeds of the crime.