Kaduna State High Court has remanded a couple and two others for impersonating the wife of the Katsina state Governor. The suspects were also arraigned for allegedly defrauding a bureau de change operator of the sum of N197 million.
According to Economic Financial Crimes Commission in a statement, it charged Baba Sule, and 3 other suspects for 6 counts. The counts brought before Justice Amina Bello centered on money laundering, stealing, and acquiring money through pretense, among others.
The statement disclosed that the suspects registered two SIM cards in the name of the Katsina governor’s wife, Fatima Dikko Radda. They thereafter used to the SIM cards to contact Unity Bank’s Chairman to access the contact of the Bureau de Change Operator.
Reports said that the suspect then contacted the operator to deposit N197 million in exchange for a US dollar they had.
Moreover, investigations revealed that Baba Sule and other suspects shared the money among themselves, and laundered it through different means.
However, the operatives of the Department of state services arrested the four suspects after the victim reported the incident. Following the arrest, the DSS transferred Sule Abubakar, Hafsat Kabir, Abdullahi Bala, and Lawani Akindele to the EFCC and subsequently arraigned on Monday.
According to the Court statement, Abubakar, Kabir, Bala, and Akindele pleaded not guilty of the counts read to them. Also, the counsel for the defendants opposed the prayer of the prosecuting counsel,demanding for the defendants’ bails.
Furthermore, Justice Bello consequently remanded the defendants in a correctional facility and adjourned the court case till March 17, 2025.
