Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Makurdi zonal office, on Thursday, arraigned two men for various offences before Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon sitting at the Federal High Court Makurdi, Benue State for job scam.
Mailafia was arraigned on a four – count charge bothering on conspiracy, employment scam, and obtaining money under false pretences to the tune of N600,000 while Gbaa Luther Benjamin was arraigned on a one – count charge of stealing and unauthorized ATM cash withdrawal to the tune of N200,000.
“That you, Babiya Meshack Mailafia, Faruk Jimoh, Babiya Timothy and Innocent (now at large), sometime in September, 2018 at Abuja,  within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, did conspire among yourselves to obtain the aggregate sum of N600,000 by false pretence from one Shuaibu Lukman under the pretext of giving two of his siblings a job with the Nigeria Immigration Service and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act”.
Mailafia however, pleaded ‘not guilty’ when the charges were read to him even as his H. M. Animasun prayed the Court to allow him make an oral application for the bail of his client which was rejected by the Court.
 
Prosecution counsel, Mary Onoja, asked for a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded in custody pending his bail.
Justice Olajuwon remanded the defendant in Makurdi correctional centre pending the hearing of his bail application.
The case was adjourned till May 11, 2020 for commencement of trial.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Makurdi zonal office, on March 5, 2020, arraigned one (Two Hundred Thousand Naira).
Benjamin who was arraigned before Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon sitting at the Federal High Court Makurdi, also pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him.
The count reads:
“That you, Gbaa Luther Benjamin,  sometime in October, 2019 in Makurdi, within the jurisdiction of this honourable Court, did steal an electronic card to with: A Zenith Bank Plc debit card issued in the name of Ishima Lohodeboo Yakubu with Account No. 2208635042 and withdrew the sum of N200,000 from the said account and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 33(3) of the Cybercrime (prohibition, Prevention Etc) Act, 2015″.
Prosecution counsel, Mary Onoja, asked for a trial date and also asked that the defendant be remanded in custody pending his bail.
But the defendant’s counsel, J. T. Jinge, prayed the Court that he be allowed to make an oral application for the bail of his client since the client was still under administrative bail granted him by the Commission.
The court rejected the oral application fie bail and Justice Olajuwon remanded the defendant in correctional centre pending the hearing of his bail application, and the case was adjourned till May 11, 2020 for commencement of trial.