Judiciary finds two individuals guilty of posing as anti-graft agency officials

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Haruna Mamuda and Sadiq Umar have been convicted by the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Jikwoyi, Abuja, for impersonating officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to defraud members of the public.

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PUNCH metro learnt through the official EFCC official statement that Justice M. Zubairu convicted the duo on Thursday on a five-count charge bordering on impersonation, criminal conspiracy and unlawful representation.

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The charges alleged that the convicts, alongside Salifu Olije Mustapha, who is currently standing trial before an FCT High Court in Kubwa, conspired in March 2026 to falsely present themselves as EFCC officers, contrary to Section 96 of the Penal Code Act and punishable under Section 132 of the same Act.
nAnother count stated that Umar, also known as Abubakar Hashimu Umar, falsely impersonated an EFCC officer and, in that assumed capacity, defrauded unsuspecting members of the public.

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The defendants pleaded guilty to all the charges when they were read to them.
nFollowing their guilty pleas, prosecution counsel, R. U. Adagba, urged the court to convict them accordingly.
nCounsel to the first convict, Anamegbumam Innocent, pleaded for leniency, telling the court that his client had shown remorse, was married with children and had cooperated with EFCC investigators.

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Similarly, counsel to the second convict, Bemdo Asan, appealed for mercy, noting that his client had no previous criminal record.

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Responding, Adagba urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence.
n“My Lord, the first defendant is a dismissed member of the Nigerian Army. His sentence will serve as a deterrent to society at large. I also want the court to factor in that they were brought in from the Department of State Services, where they are being charged with terrorism financing and kidnapping,” she said.

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Justice Zubairu subsequently adjourned the matter until July 22, 2026, for sentencing and ordered that the defendants remain in the custody of the EFCC.

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