Four Women Arraigned in Kaduna High Court for Assaulting EFCC Personnel

The suspects, Rukayya Ahmed Mustapha, Sadiya Usman Mohammed, Ameera Uthman, and Nafisat Usman, were charged with obstruction of lawful duty and assault against EFCC officers. Each suspect faced a separate one-count charge, with Sadiya Usman Mohammed's charge reading

On Wednesday, April 24, 2024, the Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned four young women before Justice A.A. Bello of the Kaduna State High Court, Kaduna, for allegedly assaulting EFCC personnel and preventing the arrest of a suspect.

The suspects, Rukayya Ahmed Mustapha, Sadiya Usman Mohammed, Ameera Uthman, and Nafisat Usman, were charged with obstruction of lawful duty and assault against EFCC officers. Each suspect faced a separate one-count charge, with Sadiya Usman Mohammed's charge reading: "That you, Sadiya Usman Mohammed, on or about April 15, 2024, at Kaduna, willfully obstructed EFCC officers while carrying out an official assignment, contrary to Section 38(2)(a) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004, and punishable under Section 38(2)(b) of the same Act."

All four suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges, prompting the prosecution counsel, K.S. Ogunlade, to request a trial date to bring witnesses to court. He also sought the remand of the defendants in Kaduna Correctional Centre. Justice Bello remanded three of the suspects in the correctional centre, while Sadiya Usman Mohammed, a nursing mother, was remanded in EFCC custody. The case was adjourned to May 2, 2024, for a hearing of their bail applications.

The suspects were arrested for obstructing EFCC officers who were attempting to arrest Hadiza Usman, a suspect who had jumped bail several times and avoided being served charges for arraignment. According to the EFCC, the four suspects attacked operatives, assaulting three of them, and biting one operative close to his collarbone and another on his left hand. Despite the confrontation, the officers maintained discipline and professionalism, subduing and arresting the suspects without violence.

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