3rd February, 2021
By Nimot Adetola Sulaimon
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Kano Zonal Office on Wednesday, arraigned Solomon Okonkwu for obtaining money by false pretence.
Okonkwu was arraigned before Justice Hadiza Suleiman of the Kano State High Court sitting in Gezawa.
He was arrested by operatives of the EFCC following a written petition dated 19th June 2019 by one Aisha Shittu who alleged that the dependent defrauded her to the tune of Two Million Six Hundred and Fifty thousand (N2,650,000) under the pretext of supplying her with a Shortware Diathermy Machine.
An investigation confirmed that One million five hundred thousand Naira (N1,500,000) and One million One Hundred and Fifty thousand Naira (N1, 150,000) were paid into the defendant’s First bank account and the Diamond Bank Account of one Solomon Ikechukwu Okonkwu.
Efforts to produce the equipment or recover the money were futile.
One of the charges read, “that you, Solomon Ikechukwu Okonkwu, being the managing Director of POLNIL Limited and POLNIL Limited sometimes between November 2014 and November 2015 in Kano, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court dishonestly misappropriated the sum of Two Million Six Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N2, 650,000.00) entrusted to you by Aisha Shittu for the supply of one unit of Shortmare Diathermy (model mettle 395) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 311of the Penal Code and punishable to Section 312 of the Penal Code.”
The defendant pleaded “not guilty” when the charge was read to him.
Prosecution counsel, Sadiq Hussein applied to the court for a short date and also an order to remand the defendant in a Correctional Centre.
Defence counsel applied orally to the court for the bail of the defendant.
Hussein opposed the oral bail application.
Justice Suleiman adjourned the matter till February 22, 2021, for trial, and ordered that the defendant be remanded in Central Correctional Centre, Kano.