Kebbi Court Jails Two Motor Dealers For Money Laundering

Justice Emmanuel Gakko of the Federal High Court sitting in Kebbi, Kebbi State, on Tuesday July 22, 2023 convicted and sentenced two motor dealers : Mamuda Aliyu and Hamza Muhammad Mahuta to various jail terms for money laundering.

They were jailed upon their arraignment and trial on ten- count charges preferred against them by the Sokoto Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Count one reads: ” That you Mamuda Aliyu and Hamza Muhammad Mahuta (trading under the name and style of Dogaro Ga Allah Motors) being a Designated Non-Financial Institution and carrying on the business of sales of vehicles at opposite new prison along Jega Road Birnin Kebbi, sometimes between 2019 and 2021 at Birnin Kebbi within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, did in contravention of Section 5(1) to (5) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 failed to submit a declaration of your activities to wit: requirements of customer identification and the submission of returns on transactions to the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering domiciled in the EFCC and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 5 (1) to (5) and punishable under Section 5 (6) (a) and (b) of the same Act”.

Count six reads: “That you Mamuda Aliyu and Hamza Muhammad Mahuta (trading under the name and style of Dogaro Ga Allah Motors) being a Designated Non-Financial Institution and carrying on the business of sales of vehicles along Jega Road Birnin Kebbi, on or about the 10th January 2020 at Birnin Kebbi within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, without going through a financial institution accepted cash payment of the sum of N15,000,000 (Fifteen Million Naira) from Ministry of Animal Health which exceeded N5,000,000 (Five Million Naira) threshold for the purpose of selling a Toyota Hilux Model with receipt no:1098 and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 (As Amended) punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act”

Both convicts pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to them, prompting prosecution counsel, Habila Jonathan to pray the court to grant a date for commencement of trial. The trial lasted eight months with the EFCC counsel presenting several documents which were admitted as exhibits by the court against the defendants.

At the end of the trial, Justice Gakko found them guilty, convicted and sentenced them on count one to a fine of N250,000( Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) each. On count two, the convicts were sentenced to a fine of N250,000 each. On count 3-10, the convicts were sentenced to a fine of N100,000( One Hundred Thousand Naira) on each count or one year imprisonment. The convicts were also directed to comply with the provisions of the Money Laundering Act within two months.

Aliyu and Mahuta were arrested for non-compliance with the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition & Prevention) Act, 2011 (as amended). They failed to conduct multiple transactions above the reportable threshold and non- registration with the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering as required by law.

Kebbi Court Jails Two Motor Dealers For Money Laundering is first published on The Whistler Newspaper