Court jails two fraudsters in Maiduguri

<p>The Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, July 24, 2023, secured the conviction and sentencing of two fraudsters, Mohammed Maidugu and Allen Abel.</p>, <p>While Maidugu was jailed two years for dishonestly copying the Automated Teller Machine, ATM, card Personal Identification Number of a bank customer, Abel bagged 10 years imprisonment for obtaining under false pretences.</p>, <p>They were both jailed by Justice Umaru Fadawu of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri.</p>, <p>Maidugu got his prison term after more than three months of trial on a one-count charge bordering on attempting to commit theft. The charge reads: “That you, Mohammed Maidugu on or about 22nd February, 2023 at FCMB Main Branch ATM Point, Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, attempted to commit theft and in such attempt did a certain act towards the commission of the said offence to wit: dishonestly copying the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) PIN of Usman Mohammed while making a transaction at the ATM without his consent and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 95 of the Penal Code Law Cap. 102 Laws of Borno State of Nigeria and punishable under section 287 of the same law.”</p>, <p>The defendant pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned on April 20, 2023, and the matter proceeded to trial.</p>, <p>In the course of the trial, the prosecuting counsel, Shamsuddeen Olayinka Saka, presented five witnesses and tendered several documents which were admitted in evidence as exhibits.</p>, <p>Justice Fadawu, in his judgment, convicted and sentenced Maidugu to two years imprisonment without an option of fine.</p>, <p>The convict’s journey to the Correctional Facility started when a customer went to an FCMB ATM point to make a transaction and at the point of inserting his secret PIN code, discovered that the convict surreptitiously copied the same on his mobile phone.</p>, <p>The customer, upon this realization, quickly cancelled the transaction, held Mai