The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned one Abdulmalik Jimoh Itopa Courage, owner of Cropshares Africa, for allegedly defrauding a company identified as Dasolag Enterprises, of N14.4 million.

In a statement shared on its official X handle on Wednesday, the anti-graft agency said its Kaduna zonal command, arraigned the suspect on Tuesday, before Justice A.Isiaka of the Kaduna State High Court.

The charge read, “The Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, arraigned one Abdulmalik Jimoh Itopa Courage before Justice A.Isiaka of the Kaduna State High Court, sitting in Kaduna on one-count charge of criminal breach of trust involving N14.4 million.

“That you, Abdulmalik Jimoh Itopa Courage (a sole proprietor of Cropshares Africa), sometime in November 2021 in Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being entrusted with the sum of N14,400,000.00(Fourteen Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira only) by Dasolag Enterprises as payment for the supply of 900 bags of maize, dishonestly converted to your own use in violation of contract which you made to the said sum and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 296 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017 and punishable under Section 297 of the same Law.’’

The petitioner also stated that after the defendant failed to keep his promise to supply the 900 bags which translated to three trucks of maize, he agreed to refund the said sum, but issued three cheques to him, which were all dishonoured by the banks as dud cheques.

After the defendant pleaded “not guilty” to the charge, the prosecution counsel, M. Lawal, urged the court to fix a date for commencement of trial and for him to be remanded in prison. But the defence counsel, B.A. Damshaka, pleaded with the court to grant him bail.

The EFCC in the statement stated that the judge “granted the defendant bail in the sum of N1,000,000.00 (One million naira) with two sureties in like sum, who must be resident in Kaduna and own landed property with C-of-O, verified by Kaduna Geographic Information System, KADGIS.”

The judge therefore adjourned hearing of the case until July 23, 2024, and ordered that the defendant be remanded in the correctional centre until fulfilment of his bail conditions.