Shinkafa Nupe: Chief Magistrate recuses self and directs case to the appropriate court.
By Yahaya Zakka Minna.
The Chief Magistrate Court Number One in Minna has recused itself from the case brought by the Niger State Police Command against Alhaji Usman Idris Makanta, the Shinkafa Nupe.
Usman Idris Makanta, a former governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State, was arraigned on six charges, including cheating, criminal breach of trust, aiding and abetting, advance fee fraud, and related offences.
Before reading the charges, the Police Prosecuting Attorney applied to withdraw the earlier charge, which accused the defendant of conspiring with others to defraud Niger Foods, an organisation in Niger State.
According to the police, several calls were made by Niger Foods management to the defendant to produce the clusters he stood surety for; he refused to answer and ignored their calls until officers of the CP Monitoring Squad of Niger State Police detained him.
His arrest followed a petition filed against him by Alfred Omotugba, the Chain Manager of Niger Foods Security Logistics, on behalf of Niger Foods Limited, calling for a discreet investigation.
Makanta was previously arraigned before the same court on November 3 by officers of the CP Monitoring Squad and was granted bail based on a Police First Information Report (FIR), marked MN/CR/CMC/55/2025.
The police prosecutor, ASP Emmanuel Ochayi, re-arraigned Alhaji Usman Idris Makanta on Monday, seeking to replace the FIR with the earlier one, but this was refused by Chief Magistrate Murtala Mohammed Ibrahim.
ASP Emmanuel Ochayi stated that the request to replace the FIR was due to a petition from Niger Foods’ management against the defendant.
The police allege that the petition contained more details and accusations involving Shinkafa Nupe and the clusters for which he was surety, claiming they defrauded Niger Foods of about three point seven billion naira (N3.7b).
The defence counsel, Mohammed Tsado Esq, opposed the re-arraignment and the substitution of the FIR, arguing that the defendant had already been granted bail and that the police sought to re-arrest him.
Barrister Tsado mentioned that he had filed contempt charges against the Police Commissioner at the Federal High Court, which had been served on him, and he asked the court to reject the police’s request to replace the original charge.
After considering the arguments, Chief Magistrate Mohammed Ibrahim Murtala said, “I have analysed both arguments from the prosecuting attorney to the defence counsel, the court lacks the jurisdiction to try the case as a result of the amended charge of advance fee fraud, which can only be tried in either the Federal High Court or the state High Court.
“With these amended charges, I hereby disqualify myself from continuing with this case. I directed that within the next twenty-four hours, the police should arraign the defendant in the Federal High Court for further prosecution. This is the submission of the court,” he declared.
