It was more like a clash of Titans when 22-year-old Salihu Nasiru Ibraham got arrested by the Police in Port Harcourt in Rivers State after a racket deal involving N15million for procurement of US Dollars in a foreign exchange deal went sour.

The Police and all involved in the matter are said to be under pressure from high quarters to get the accused out of detention and off the case. 

The accused, Salihu Nasiru Ibrahim, who is said to be son to a Director at the National Agricultural Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) in Abuja, is standing trial before Chief Magistrate A. O. Amadi-Nna at the Rivers State Magistrate Court 10 in Port Harcourt where the battle for bail is raging.

According to the charge sheet sighted by Kristina Reports, Ibrahim is accused of obtaining N15million from one Grace Ogolo to help her convert it to US Dollars at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) within the threshold of government approved rate, but did not carry out the assignment and did not return the money either since July 2022. 

The charge sheet as prepared and signed-off by a Superintendent of Police (SP), Sewari Alpheaus, said the offence contravened Section 1 (b,c) and is punishable under Section 1 (2,3) of the Advance Fee Fraud Laws of the Federation 2006. 

Count Two in the charge sheet alleged that Ibrahim also forged Police identity card to be regarded as a police officer. The prosecution told the court that more forgeries would be unveiled as the case progresses. 

When the case was called up on Monday, January 16, 2023 for bail, the defence team led by Leticia Mukoro, cited Section 18 of the Magistrate Court Law of 2004, which it said empowers the court to grant bail to the accused, arguing that the Supreme Court position was clear that as long as the case did not have capital punishment, bail could be granted by the Chief Magistrate. 

Mukoro mentioned that there was an existing relationship between the defendant and complainant who she said knew that Ibrahim was not a staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) or Bureau De Change (BDC) to expect him to change money into foreign exchange, informing the court that settlement of the case was underway, as the accused was a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who should be allowed to go and serve his fatherland.

The prosecutor, Benjamin Awuse, however, strongly opposed the bail plea, saying that in an earlier statement, the accused had admitted committing the listed offences.  

He further pointed out that particulars of the charge indicated that serious felony was committed by forging police identity and forging a university degree with which Ibrahim wants to serve in the NYSC, insisting that bail for the accused was a risks as there was a strong likelihood of him jumping bail. 

In an interview outside the court, Awuse revealed that calls placed by the victim to the father of the accused, Dr. Nasiru Ibrahim; Director: National Agriculture Biotechnology Development Agency, Abuja, were ignored and that calls to his mother also were not accepted, reinforcing his position that there was no basis to think of granting bail in the prevailing circumstances.

“The particulars of the offence do not support bail. He is suspected to have impersonated the police by allegedly forging an identity card of the police. Under a felony, you do not say you have settled with the victim of your actions. 

“There is suspected forgery of a university degree (as part of particulars of the accusations against him). He is likely operating with others and is likely to abscond. The NYSC papers arising from the allegedly forged university degree are therefore not acceptable because you cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand…”

The case as fixed by the Chief Magistrate is to come up again on January 23, 2023 for ruling on bail application.