Civil engineer docked for defrauding client

A civil engineer, David Moses, was on Wednesday docked at a Wuse Zone 2 Chief Magistrates’ Court, Abuja, for defrauding a man of N15 million.

Moses of Gwarimpa, Abuja, is facing a four-count charge of cheating by impersonation, criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal intimidation.
The prosecutor, Gambo Musa, told the court that one Fidelis Peter had reported the matter through a written petition to the Commissioner of Police and submitted at the Zone 7 Police Station, Abuja on Oct. 26.

He said that the accused sometime in January deceived the complainant that he was a civil engineer working with the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS).

Musa said that the complainant then entrusted the sum of N15 million to the accused to facilitate the approval and begin the construction of a three-storey building in Jabi District of Abuja.

He said that the accused diverted the money to his personal use and did not act as agreed with the complainant.
Musa said that when the complainant asked the defendant about the project, he threatened to send “bad boys’’ to deal with the complainant.

The prosecutor said that during investigation, it was revealed that the defendant was not a member of staff of AGIS as he claimed and that he used part of the money to buy a Lexus jeep.

Musa said that the offences contravened the provisions of Sections 324, 312, 322 and 397 of the Penal Code.

However, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges and the prosecutor prayed the court to grant him a date to reopen the case.

Senior Magistrate Mohammed Tahir admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N2.5 million and two sureties in like sum.

Tahir also ordered that the sureties must have fixed addresses within the jurisdiction of the court and adjourned the matter until Dec.13, for hearing.