The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibadan Zonal Directorate, has arraigned one Lawal Babale Musa before Justice Olusola Adetujoye of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Musa was arraigned on August 13, on a fifty seven-count charge bordering on forgery, uttering of documents and stealing to the tune of N56, 491, 000.00.
The anti-graft agency disclosed this in a statement shared on its Facebook page on Monday night.
The count charge read, “That you, Lawal Babale Musa ‘M’ on or between 2nd November, 2022 to 22nd July, 2024 at Ibadan, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, converted to your own personal use, total sum of N56, 491, 000.00 (Fifty-six Million, Four Hundred and Ninety-one Thousand Naira) from Ibrahim Shuaibu the sums meant for Hajj pilgrimage through Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency for Jibril Adamu, Suleiman Aminatu, Musa Haruna, Suleiman N. Abdullahi, Audu Bello, Yusuf Umaru, Saidu Musa, Idris Suleiman, Musa Yunusa and Usman Haruna and thereby committed an offence of stealing by conversion contrary to Section 390(9) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.”
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the count charges when they were read to him.
Following his plea, prosecution counsel, Bashir Shamsuddeen prayed the court for a trial date and the remand of the defendant in a Correctional Centre.
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Counsel to the defendant, Kehinde Adegbola informed the court that he had filed a motion, praying the court to admit his client to bail on liberal terms.
Justice Adetujoye thereafter adjourned the matter till August 17, 2026 for hearing of the bail application and remanded the defendant in Agodi Correctional Centre.
Musa’s journey to the Correctional Centre started when he approached one Ibrahim Shuaibu under the pretext that he worked for the Kaduna State Government and could help facilitate the 2023 Hajj Pilgrimage.
Consequently, Shuaibu informed some of his friends: Jibril Adamu, Suleiman Aminatu, Musa Haruna, Suleiman N. Abdullahi, Audu Bello, Yusuf Umaru, Saidu Musa, Idris Suleiman, Musa Yunusa and Usman Haruna who are into the business of cattle breeding and rearing within the Oke-ogun area of Ibadan Oyo State and they cumulatively paid the sum of N56, 491, 000.00 to Shuaibu who, in turn, transferred the money to the defendant to facilitate the 2023 Hajj Pilgrimage.
However, no one among the victims were able to attend the Saudi Arabia Hajj Pilgrimage of 2023 due to the fraudulent refusal of Musa to fulfil his promise.