EFCC Arraigns Medical Supplier Over N2.9m Fraud

The Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, has arraigned one Sunday Ekele for criminal breach of trust and misappropriation to the tune of N2, 930, 029.

According to EFCC, Ekele was arrested based on claims by a petitioner, one Ayobami Oyeleye, alleging that sometime in January, 2020, Ekele entered an agreement to market some pharmaceutical products worth N2, 930, 029.

However the petitioners claimed that Ekele failed to remit payment after the products were supplied, and efforts to recover the sum or products proved abortive.

He was arraigned on Tuesday, before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court, Kaduna, on one-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and misappropriation.

The lone-count reads: “That you, Ekele Sunday sometime in January, 2020 in Kaduna within the Kaduna Judicial Division of the High Court being entrusted with property worth N2,930, 029, by one Ayobami Oyeleye for the supply of pharmaceutical products which you sold and dishonestly misappropriated the money to your own use in violation of legal contract which you made in regard to the said sum and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 293 of the Penal Code Law of Kaduna State and punishable under Section 293 of the same Law”.

The suspect pleaded not guilty to the charge read to him, and in view of his plea, prosecution counsel, E.K Garba applied for a trial date and sought the defendant to be remanded in Kaduna Correctional Centre.

However, counsel to the defendant, Usman Abdullahi urged the court to grant bail to his client, and after listening to both counsels, Justice Khobo granted the defendant bail in the sum of N2m and a surety in like sum.

The judge said the surety must own a property in Kaduna with a Certificate of Occupancy which should be verified by the court registrar and the matter was adjourned to January 25, 2024 for hearing.