Aminu Ishaq was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison for retaining proceeds of crime by Justice Nasiru Saminu of a Kano State High Court.
On Tuesday, he handed down the sentence in the case brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The convict was one of six youths arrested in Katsina and Kano States for stealing over N15 million from a complainant’s bank account, who happened to be the grandmother of one of the fraudsters, Almustapha Nasir.
Nasir was convicted by the same court on October 6, 2022.
The defendants were arrested in response to a petition alleging that Nasir stole his grandmother’s SIM card, shared it with his friends, and together they stole over N15 million via bank transfers and Point of Sale withdrawals.
The charge read:
“That you, Aminu Ishag sometime in 2021 at Kano within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did retain the possession of the sum of N350, 000.00 (Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira only) which sum you knew formed part of a proceeds of criminal conduct and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 17 (a) & (b) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004.”
When the one-count charge was read to him, the defendant pleaded guilty.
Salihu Sani, the prosecution’s counsel, urged the court to convict him in light of his plea.
Nuriyyah Musa, the defendant’s counsel, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing the defendant.
Justice Saminu found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to three years in prison with the option of a N100,000 fine.