January 22, (THEWILL) – The Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) has arraigned one Wasila Musa Ibrahim and her company, Najaatu Petroleum Limited, before Justice Mohammed Nasir Yunusa at the Federal High Court, Kano.
They were arraigned on Thursday on charges bordering on money laundering and tax evasion.
In 2020, Ibrahim had reportedly defrauded a company known as Lee Group of a total sum of Thirty-Eight Million, Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N38,200,000).
According to the EFCC, the suspect had approached the Lee Group owner with a business proposal to supply the company Diesel and Premium Motor Spirit (petrol).
Using the name of her company, Ibrahim collected the money from the victim and his family members, diverting it for her personal use.
According to the victims, after learning of the fraud, Wasila Ibrahim lied that she had paid the money with one Alhaji Lawan who allegedly absconded and could not be reached.
The suspect was then reported to the anti graft agency, after which investigations revealed that she never did pay the N38.2 million meant to supply petrol. The investigations also led to the discovery that Ibrahim’s company, Najaatu Petroleum Limited had evaded tax payment from January 2013 to 2020.
The suspect was arraigned on Thursday before Justice Yunusa of the Federal High Court, Kano on a 12-count charge of money laundering and tax evasion
One of the twelve counts charges against the defendant reads: “That you, Wasila Musa Ibrahim “F”, sometime in October 2020, in Kano within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did make a cash payment of the sum of N38,200,000.00 (Thirty-Eight Million and Two Hundred Thousand Naira) only to one Alhaji Lawan for the purchase of five (5) trucks of Diesel without passing through a financial institution and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (As Amended) and punishable under Section 16(2) (b) of the same Act.”
The second charge against her by the EFCC also read: “That you, Wasila Musa Ibrahim “F”, Managing Director of Najaatu Petroleum Limited and Najaatu Petroleum Limited sometime in January, 2013 in Kano, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did fail to pay your company income tax for the year 2013 to the Federal Inland Revenue Service and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 9 (1) (a) of the Companies Income Tax Act, 2004 and punishable under Section 82 of the same Act”.
The defendant pleaded ‘not guilty to the charges.
In view of her plea, the prosecution counsel, Y.J Matiyak, prayed the court to fix a date for the hearing and remanded the defendant in the EFCC custody. But the defence counsel, Suleiman Abdulrahim informed the court of a pending application for bail of the defendant and asked that his client be admitted to bail.
However, Matiyak opposed the application.
Justice Yunusa, after listening to the arguments, adjourned the matter till February 8, 2022, for a hearing of bail application and remanded the defendant in EFCC custody.
