The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned Paulinus Ani at the Federal High Court, Enugu, on charges of fraud involving the sum of N8,130,000.
Ani appeared before Justice Mohammed Garba Umar in the Independence Layout of the court on a one-count charge of obtaining money under false pretence.
According to a statement issued by the EFCC on Monday, Ani is accused of defrauding one Severus Ifeanyi Odoziobodo by falsely promising to sell him seven plots of land.
The charge against Ani reads: “That you, Paulinus Ani, sometime between October 2015 and June 2018, at Enugu, Enugu State, with intent to defraud, induced one Severus Ifeanyi Odoziobodo to deliver to you the sum of N8,130,000.00…under the pretence that you would sell to him seven (7) plots of land…which pretence you knew to be false.”
Ani pleaded not guilty to the charge. The prosecuting counsel, Nasir Umar, asked the court to fix a trial date and remand the defendant to the Enugu Correctional Facility, opposing any immediate bail on grounds of the rising trend of land-related scams in the state.
“The incidence of land scams in Enugu is alarming, and we urge the court to deny bail in this case to ensure justice is served,” Umar said.
However, the defence counsel, O. S. Imaji, urged the court to consider bail under liberal terms, arguing that Ani had reliable sureties. After hearing both sides, Justice Umar granted bail in the sum of N10 million with two sureties of the same amount, both required to reside within Enugu State.
The judge ordered that Ani remain in custody until his bail conditions were met and adjourned the case until January 23, 2025.
The case stems from a petition filed with the EFCC on January 1, 2021, by Odoziobodo, who alleged that Ani had presented himself as a staff member of the Ministry of Land and Urban Development, Enugu State, and offered plots of land for sale in Emene and Independence Layout.
Odoziobodo paid N8,130,000 for the land, only to later discover that the plots had already been sold to other buyers with valid Certificates of Occupancy.
