An Appeal Court sitting in Yola, Adamawa state on Thursday affirmed the judgement of the Federal High Court which convicted and sentenced a graduate of Banking and Finance, University of Maiduguri to 20 years in prison.
The 37 year old convict, Mohammed Dauda along side Hadiza Adamu Bello, 48 , Aliyu Adamu, 37, and Bello Salisu, 32, were convicted and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment each by Justice A. M. Anka led Federal High Court on 6th February, 2020.
Justice Anka convicted all the defendants to 10 years imprisonment for the offence of conspiracy, and 10 years for the offence of being in possession of counterfeit currency, and that all the sentences shall run concurrently.
The convicts were earlier arraigned before the court on the 9th May, 2017 on 4 count charges involving offences of conspiracy to commit offence of and possession of counterfeit bank notes in the sum of #5.504 million of 1000 denomination.
It was the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) that instituted the action against them, but before the judgement, the 5th defendant, Hassan Bello and a herbalist died from an undisclosed ailment on the 13th December, 2019.
The convicts, Ali, Mohammed and Hadiza were arrested in March, 2017, at Girei check point along Girei -Yola road and had in possession of #5.504 million counterfeit currency of #1000 denomination in a Ghana Must Go.
All of the convicts were arrested by the Nigeria Army Corps of Military Police of the 23rd Brigade Provost, Gibson Jalo Cantonment, Yola during a routine check at a check point along Girei-Yola road and found the counterfeit currency in their possession and handed them over to the operatives of ICPC.
It was in the course of investigation by the operatives of ICPC that Bello Salisu and Hassan Bello who were part of the syndicate, were arrested in Yola and Wamdeo in Uba LGA Borno state respectively and found counterfeit currency of #1000 denomination to the tune of #26,000.
In their separate statements admitted in evidence, the convicts had confessed that they were apprehended while returning from Wamdeo where late Hassan Bello (5th defendant) who happened to be herbalist produced fake money for them.
One of the convicts, Ali Adamu of Kofan Wambai Kano, said he first met late herbalist whom they knew each other for a long time, and plead with him to pray for him, narrating that after prayers, the herbalist told him that the spirit he consulted during prayers can produce money but fake.
Ali said that the herbalist had informed him that he had been into the business for 10 to 20 years and had been producing money for people, making them to get political power, have children and promotion at work places.
On his part, the herbalist narrated that on the 22nd March, 2017, Aliyu called him from Kano state and informed him that one Custom Officer and other people were in need of his services, prayers and spirit consultation so as to produce fake money for them.
Hassan Bello stated that he agreed and asked them to come down to Wamdeo for the business, saying that the convicts came and he accommodated them, saying that he made his consultations and the spirit agreed to produce money for them.
According to him, he met his guests and informed them that the spirit had agreed to produce the money, and asked them to bring Ghana Must Go, adding that they brought the bag and he went ahead and produced the money for them.
But the convicts, Ali, Hadiza and Mohammed, who were able to beat all the security check points with the huge sums of money, were nabbed by the military personnel at Girei check point few kilometers away from the state capital.
But dissatisfied with the judgement of the trial court, Hadiza Adamu Bello, filed appeal against the decision, but to her utter dismay, the Appeal Court upheld the judgement of the trial which convicted for 20 years, and struck out her appeal.
Likewise, the 2nd convict, Mohammed Dauda filed his appeal number CA/YL/42CN/2020 dated 31st March, 2020 and prayed the court to determine whether the Federal High Court was right when it convicted and sentenced him for the offence.
Mohammed urged the court to allow his appeal and set aside the judgement of the lower court as well as the conviction and sentence and further asked the court to discharge and acquit him.
The appellant informed the Appeal Court that there was no proof of him being in possession of the counterfeit notes before the trial court.
But in its judgement on Thursday, the Court of Appeal presided by Justice Bitrus Gyarasama, dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit and affirmed the 20 year jail term for the university of Maiduguri graduate.
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