The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned one Nathaniel Attah before Justice Tukur Muazu of Kaduna State High Court on one count charge bordering on Criminal Breach of Trust and Misappropriation of funds.
The accused was arrested by following a petition from his employers, Sharon Petroleum Limited.
Sharon alleged that sometime in April 2017, they discovered that a sum of Ten Million Six Hundred and Eleven Thousand,One Hundred and Seventy One Naira, Seventy Kobo (N10,611,171.70) was diverted by the accused person, who was manager of the Lugbe station. It further alleged that the said money was the deferences in the daily sales of petroleum products recorded at the Station. According to the complainant, the accused person admitted to have misappropriated the alleged sum when he was confronted with the allegation.
The charge reads, “that you Nathaniel Attah sometime in April, 2017 at Kaduna within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Justice, Kaduna state dishonestly misappropriated to your own use certain property to wit: the sum of N 10,611,171.70 (Ten Million, Six Hundred and Eleven Thousand, One Hundred and Seventy one Naira, Seventy Kobo) belonging to Sharon Petrooleum Nigerian Limited and that you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 308 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 309 of the same Law.
The accused person initially pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him but later change his plea to ‘not guilty’.
In view of his later plea, the Prosecution Counsel Salihu Sani requested a date for trial and also urged the court to remand the accused in prison custody.
In a related development, the commission arraigned one Ibrahim Na-Ta’ala before the same court on one count of the Obtaining by False Pretence to the tune of N2,400,000.
Na-Ta’ala also pleaded not guilty.
He was alleged to have obtained the sum from the complainant under the pretext of selling a plot of land to him. The land was however discovered to belong to another person.
Justice Mu’azu adjourned both cases to 7th June, 2018 for trial, and remanded the accused persons in prison custody pending the consideration of their bail applications.
