In a recent development, the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission presented Paulinus Ani before Justice Mohammed Garba Umar at the Federal High Court in Independence Layout, Enugu State.
Ani is facing a single charge of obtaining N8,130,000 (Eight Million, One Hundred and Thirty Thousand Naira) by false pretence. The charge alleges that between October 2015 and June 2018, Ani deceived Severus Ifeanyi Odoziobodo into giving him the mentioned sum under the false promise of selling seven plots of land, an act deemed fraudulent under the law.
Ani entered a plea of not guilty to the charge during the proceedings. The EFCC counsel, Nasir Umar, requested a trial date and urged the court to remand Ani at the Enugu Correctional Facility. In response, the defence counsel, O. S. Imaji, presented a bail application, requesting bail on lenient terms due to the availability of a reliable surety.
However, the prosecution opposed the bail application, citing the prevalence of land scams in Enugu and emphasizing the necessity of addressing such crimes firmly. Following deliberation, Justice Umar granted Ani bail under conditions requiring a sum of N10 million and two sureties of equal amount, both residents of Enugu State.
Ani was remanded at the Enugu Correctional Facility until the bail conditions are met, and the trial was adjourned to January 23, 2025. This case stemmed from a petition filed with the EFCC on January 1, 2021, by Ifeanyi Odoziobodo, who alleged that Ani, posing as a Ministry of Land and Urban Development staff member, fraudulently offered him land plots in Emene and Independence Layout, leading to the subsequent loss of N8,130,000. Despite efforts to recover the funds, Odoziobodo’s involvement of the EFCC was necessary.