A High Court sitting in Kaduna and presided over by Justice M.T.M Aliyu, has sentenced one Hajiya Binta Balarabe Kubau to 10-years imprisonment over a Land scam in Kaduna State.
According to the statement by the Kaduna Zonal Command of the EFCC, the conviction of Hajiya Binta Balarabe Kubau was on October 4, 2021, and was on a one-count charge of cheating.
The Land scam charge levelled against the accused, reads, “that you Hajiya Binta Balarabe Kubau, sometime in August 2020 in Kaduna within the Judicial Division of this Honourable Court dishonestly, induced one Yahaya Mohammed Idris to deliver to you the sum of N5,500,000( Five Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira Only) for the purchase of a plot situate at No. C1 Block ‘PR’ on TPO 833A revised Kaduna Millennium City Mixed Commercial Layout when you claimed to be the owner, which you knew to be false and you thereby committed cheating contrary to Section 306 (a) and punishable under Section 307 of the Penal Code Laws of Kaduna State, 2017”.
She pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to her
In view of her guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, J. Musa urged the court to enter the terms of a plea bargain agreement as the judgment of the court, while the defence counsel, Sule Shu’aibu asked the court to temper justice with mercy as the defendant has been remorseful.
Justice Aliyu, consequently convicted and sentenced the defendant to ten years imprisonment with an option of Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N200, 000.00) fine.
The defendant, has already made a restitution of the sum of Five Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N5, 500,000.00) to the complainant.
Trouble started for Hajia Binta, when one Yahaya Muhammed Idris wrote a petition to the EFCC, claiming he paid for a plot of land located at Millennium City Mixed Density Commercial Layout in Kaduna to the defendant but upon presentation of the Certificate of Occupancy document to KASUPDA for building permit, he discovered that the C of O was fake.