Two officers of the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, EFCC, Douglas William and
Abba Ishaku, who were arraigned on October 17,
2010, before an Abuja High Court presided over
by Justice Abubakar Umar in a four-count charge
bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money
under false pretence, were on October 4, 2012,
sentenced to five years imprisonment without an
option of fine.
The two officers were arrested in 2010 in a ‘sting
operation’. Until their arrest, the duo were
stationed at the reception of the EFCC
headquarters in Wuse, Abuja.
Trouble started for the officers when they
allegedly demanded for N100, 000 from Kullima
Kachalla, a former Chairman of Bama Local
Government in Borno state in 2010, by posing as
investigators of the EFCC.
They were alleged to have asked Mr. Kachalla to
send them the money in order to bribe other
investigators of the Commission to destroy a
petition written to the EFCC, which indicted him
(the former chairman) for alleged
mismanagement of public funds.
During trial, the court was told that Mr. Kachalla
had alerted the EFCC of the action of the two
accused persons, necessitating an undercover
operation, where an EFCC officer, posing as Mr.
Kachalla’s representative, arranged a meeting
with the accused.
Ishaku, second accused, allegedly called Mr.
Kachalla by telephone, asking him to bring the
money to the
Commission’s office in Wuse, Abuja. It was in the
course of the receipt of the money that the two
staff were arrested and subsequently arraigned.
In his ruling, Justice Umar said because the
convicts have suffered enough humiliation, their
sentence should start from the date of their
arraignment being October 18, 2010.