The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Kano zonal office, on March 12, 2019 arraigned one Umar Abdurrahman Gwani before Justice Lewis Allagoa of the Federal High Court sitting in Kano on a five-count charge of obtaining money under false pretence and money laundering.
He was accused of obtaining the sum of N72,495,000 (Seventy Two Million, Four Hundred and Ninety-five Thousand Naira)only from one Kabiru Dahiru under the guise that the money was for investment into Gold business.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Alhaji Umar Abdurrahman Gwani (trading under the name and style of Umar Gwani Abdurrahman Enterprices) on or about the 11th of August, 2017 at Kano within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, fraudulently obtained the sum of N40,000,000 (Forty Million Naira) only from one Alhaji Kabiru Suleiman Dahiru under the false pretence that the sum was an investment into Gold business, which pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offense contrary to section 1(2) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act.”
He pleaded “not guilty” to the five counts.
In view of his plea, counsel for the EFCC, Cosmos Ugwu asked the court for a trial date.
Defence counsel, however, informed the court that the defendant had earlier been granted bail by the order of the same court and so urged the court to allow him continue with his bail.
Justice Allagoa acceded to his request, and adjourned until May 6 and 7, 2020 for commencement of trial.