The Kano Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on October 31, 2019 arraigned the duo of Jude Ameh and Ademola Aderibigbe before Justice Farouk Lawan of the Kano State High Court on a 19-count charge bordering on theft and forgery.
The complainant alleged that one of the defendants, Aderibigbe, his former account officer in a commercial bank and until his arrest an accountant in his Bureau De Change firm, connived with Ameh, the account officer to his company in FCMB Plc, and fraudulently siphoned N11.36 million for their personal use and that all efforts made to recover the money proved abortive.
Count one of the charge reads:
“That you Jude Ameh and Ademola Aderibigbe sometime in 2017 at Kano within the Jurisdiction of the High Court of Kano State did conspire between yourselves to commit an illegal act to wit: theft and thereby you committed an offence contrary to Section 96 of the Penal Code Law and Punishable under Section 97 of the same Law.”
The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges against them.
In view of their plea, prosecuting counsel, Salihu Sani, asked the court for a date for commencement of trial. Counsel to the defendants, U. U. Eteng, prayed the court to admit his clients to bail.
Justice Lawan granted the defendants bail in the sum of N500,000 each with reliable sureties who must have landed property with Certificate of Occupancy within the jurisdiction of the court.
The sureties and the defendants are also to deposit their passport photographs with the court.
The Judge adjourned hearing to February 11 and 12, 2020, while the defendants are remanded in EFCC custody pending the fulfilment of their bail conditions.
