EFCC Arraigns ABU Officials Over N185million Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) has arraigned six

officials of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria before

Justice M. M. Ladan of Kaduna State High Court sitting in Zaria on a

22-count charge bordering on conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, theft,

cheating, misappropriation and fraudulent diversion of bank loan.

The case was reported to the Commission by one Prof Lawal Khalid, Chief

Medical Director of ABUTH, against the management of the Multipurpose

Cooperative Society of the Non Academic Staff Union of the institution.

The petitioner alleged that, sometimes in 2013, First City Monument Bank,

Zaria branch granted N185 million loan to Multipurpose Cooperative Society

of NASU ABUTH Zaria and the fund was later disbursed by the society to the

beneficiaries for subsequent repayment in full with interest within 24

months.
The petitioner added that the Management of ABUTH guaranteed only the

deduction from the beneficiaries' salary for the monthly repayment and

remittance to the Society's account at the Bank which will enable FCMB to

recover its money.
The petitioner also stated that following complaint of over deduction of

repayment by some beneficiaries, an internal investigation was conducted

which discovered that N27, 211, 486.66 could not be accounted for. It was

further alleged that, ABUTH Management constituted an Ad-hoc committee on

the issue which recommended that the sum of N25, 5387, 798.60 should be

recovered from the officials of the society.
The accused officials include; Kabuk Dauda Chairman, Nuruddeen Mohammed

Secretary, Cecelia Jatau Treasurer, Abdulrazak Garba and Abdulkadir B

Danyaro of non Academic Staff Union (NASU) ABUTH Multipurpose Co-operative

Society, Zaria.
The accused were arrested by the EFCC, and investigation later revealed

that, the sum of N3, 995, 104.17 was supposed to be repaid on monthly

basis by the Management of ABUTH to FCMB, but the accused conspired among

them to be remitting N4, 834,076, and converted the difference to their

personal use.
Count one of the charge read “That you KABUK DAUDA being the Chairman,

NURUDDEEN MOHAMMED being the Secretary, CECELIA JATAU being the Treasurer,

ABDULRAZAK GARBA and ABDULKADIR DANYARO of Non Academic Staff Union (NASU)

Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching

Hospital Zaria (ABUTH) and Olatunbonsun Thomas (now at large) sometimes

between May, 2013 and March 2014 at Zaria within the Judicial Division of

the High Court of Kaduna State , while being in the management of the NASU

Cooperative society and its Bank account with First City Monument Bank

(FCMB) obtained two (2) loan facility of N85, 292, 000.00 (Eighty five

million, two hundred and ninety two thousand naira) and N100, 000, 000.00

(one hundred million naira) but with intent to defraud, conspired among

yourselves to do an illegal act to wit; Criminal Breach of Trust in the

disbursement and pricing of the loan by increasing the interest rates in

order to gain a monetary advantage to yourselves and cause lost to the

beneficiary members and thereby committed an offence contrary to section

96 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under section 97 of the same Law”.

All the accused pleaded not guilty to charges read against them. In view

of the above, the prosecution counsel Samuel Chime urged the Court to fix

a date for hearing.
He also added that, all the witnesses for this trial were ready.

Justice Ladan granted bail at N10 million to each of the accused and two

reliable sureties for each in the like sum with landed property within the

jurisdiction of the court.
The case was adjourned to 12th April, 2016 for trial.

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