The Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has brought four suspects before Justice A.A Bello of the Kaduna State High Court, Kaduna.
In a statement released on Saturday, April 27, 2024, the commission stated that the suspects were arraigned on Wednesday for allegedly obstructing lawful duty and assaulting officers of the Commission.
The suspects—Rukayya Ahmed Mustapha, Sadiya Usman Mohammed, Ameera Uthman, and Nafisat Usman—were separately arraigned on one-count charges related to obstruction of lawful duty.
The charge against Sadiya Usman Mohammed states: "That you, Sadiya Usman Mohammed, on or about the 15th of April 2024, at Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of the Kaduna State High Court, willfully obstructed officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) while carrying out an official assignment (effecting a lawful arrest at No. 13 Jafar Organizer Street, Rigachukun, Kaduna) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 38(2)(a) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004, and punishable under Section 38(2)(b) of the same Act.”
All four suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges, prompting prosecution counsel K.S Ogunlade to request a trial date to present witnesses to the court. He also sought the remand of the defendants in the Kaduna Correctional Centre.
After hearing all counsels, Justice Bello remanded three of the suspects at the Kaduna Correctional Centre, while Sadiya Usman Mohammed, a nursing mother, was remanded in EFCC custody. The case was adjourned to May 2, 2024, for a hearing of their bail applications.
The suspects were arrested for obstructing officers of the Kaduna Command of the EFCC while attempting to arrest Hadiza Usman, who had repeatedly jumped bail and evaded being served her charges for arraignment.
During the arrest attempt, the four suspects openly attacked EFCC operatives, assaulting three of them by dragging and pulling their uniforms. One operative was bitten close to his collarbone, while another was bitten on his left hand.
Despite the suspects' resistance, the officers maintained discipline and professionalism, successfully subdued and arrested them without any violence.
