Two officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mainasara Malami and Emmanuel Salihu, have been arraigned before a Kaduna court for defrauding members of the public of the sum of N2.75 million on the false promise to secure employment for them in the agency.
They were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Umar Dogon Daji on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretence.
Count two of the charge read: “That you Mainasara Malami and Emmanuel Salihu sometime in October 2017 in Sokoto within the Judicial Division of the High Court of Sokoto State with intent to defraud obtained the total sum of N2,750,000.00 from some members of the public under false pretence of securing employment with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, which you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act”.
Following their not-guilty plea, the prosecuting counsel, Sa’ad Hannafi Sa’ad, then requested for a date for commencement of trial.
Counsel to the EFCC also sought the court’s order to remand the defendants in prison custody pending hearing of their bail applications.
This was, however, opposed by the counsel to the defendants who moved an oral application for bail.
Justice Daji rejected the oral application and ordered the remand of the defendants until a written application is filed.
Malami and Salihu would be held in prison custody until October 8, 2018 for hearing of bail applications and commencement of trial.
