N5.5m fraud: Court revokes bail against ex-PHCN staff

The FCT High Court has revoked an earlier bail granted Solomon Ndam, an ex-staff of defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) standing trial on multiple allegations of fraud.

Justice Jude Okeke revoked the bail on Thursday following an application and withdrawal of his surety, Mr. Tijani Haruna, from rendering the services.

Okeke remanded Ndam in Kuje prison pending the time he would get a new surety.

“In the light of this, all documents belonging to Haruna are to be returned to him, by this ruling, therefore, the applicant sizes to be responsible to the accused in a manner earlier agreed,” he said.

Ndam is standing trial on a 13-count charge of forgery, impersonation and obtaining N5.5 million by false pretence from an unsuspecting victim.

The Counsel to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Samuel Okeleke, entered his fielded his fifth prosecution witness, Mr. Olushola Adewumi.

Adewumi, a staff of the First Bank of Nigeria Plc., said he received a subpoena to produce certain documents relating to the case in court.

“One of the persons the accused allegedly cheated is a customer of the bank and he is among our customers captured in the bank’s database as shown in the bank’s mandate. This includes his picture, name and signature.

“We also produced the certificate of identification of the customer and the name of the account is Babatunde Kolawole”, Adewumi said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the documents were admitted as exhibits.

Ndam allegedly obtained the money from some unsuspecting persons, claiming that he would help them acquire plots of land being sold by PHCN.

The offence is punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code Cap 532, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990.

The Judge adjourned the matter to Oct. 25 for the continuation of trial.

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