The Makurdi zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Thursday arraigned one Babiya Mailafia on a four-count charge for conspiracy, employment scam, and obtaining money under false pretence to the tune of N600,000.00 (Six Hundred Thousand Naira).

He was arraigned before Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon sitting at the Federal High Court Makurdi, Benue State.

One of the counts reads: “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 N600,000.00 (Six Hundred Thousand Naira Only) by false pretence from one Shuibu 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”.

He pleaded “not guilty” when the charges were read to him.

Counsel for the (EFCC), Mary Onoja, asked for a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded pending his bail.

However, defence counsel, H.M. Animasun prayed the Court to allow him to make an oral application for the bail of his client.

Justice Olajuwon rejected the motion and ordered Animasun to make a formal application for bail.

While adjourning until May 11, 2020, for “commencement of trial”, the trial judge ordered that the defendant be remanded in Makurdi correctional centre pending the hearing of his bail application.

The case has been adjourned until May 11, 2020, for the commencement of trial.

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