N57m fraud: I have no case to answer, Maryam Sanda’s mum tells court

A former Executive Director of Aso Savings and Loans, Maimuna Aliyu, has told an FCT High Court she has no case to answer in the N57 million fraud charge filed against her.

Aliyu, mother of Maryam Sanda who was charged with alleged murder of her husband, was arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) before the court on a three-count charge.

The first count in the charge had accused her of selling off three plots of land in Jahi District, Abuja, on behalf of the bank at the cost of N57 million without remitting same to the bank.

She was also accused of making false statement to the ICPC during investigation where she allegedly claimed to have remitted the money to the bank through another staff of the bank while she knew the statement to be false. She pleaded not guilty and was granted bail.

The prosecution had subsequently called three witnesses to prove its case against her.

At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, her counsel, Mohammed Monguno, urged the court to grant her no-case submission and discharge and acquit her of the charge.

However, prosecution counsel, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, told the court that the sole point made by Aliyu in her no-case submission was that the prosecution did not call one Mr. Hassan, a former Managing Director of Aso Savings to testify as a prosecution witness.

He told the court that the prosecution was not bound to call all witnesses it listed in its proof of evidence and that the defendant was free to call any witness she felt she needed to prove her case.

“The defendant (Aliyu) should at least be called to come and explain how she handled the $360,000 (N57million)”, Akponimisingha said.

He therefore urged the court to dismiss the no-case submission and order the defendant to enter her defence forthwith.

The trial judge, Justice Mairo Nasir, thereafter reserved ruling on the submissions to a date she said would be communicated to all the parties.