Extradited Nigerian Arraigned In $307,500 Fraud Involving Luxury Cars
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has arraigned Abubakar Mohammed, a Nigerian national recently extradited from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, over an alleged $307,500 fraud involving the shipment of luxury vehicles.
The police said Mohammed defrauded an international automobile dealer under the pretext of facilitating the payment and freight of ten high-end cars from the UAE to Nigeria.
“After establishing trust, Mohammed fraudulently received the full payment through a third-party account at FCMB belonging to Anas Usaini, a Kano resident, which was subsequently used for money laundering activities in Dubai,” said Muyiwa Adejobi, force spokesperson.
The suspect was said to have provided the complainant with a forged bill of lading and later became unreachable.
The fraud was reported in July 2023 and led to Mohammed’s arrest by the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) in Dubai. He was extradited to Nigeria on May 23 to face prosecution.
Adejobi said Mohammed secured a “contract to facilitate payments and freight of ten high-end vehicles, valued at $307,500.00, from the UAE to Nigeria via designated registered shipping companies.”
He was arraigned on Tuesday before a Federal High Court in Abuja on a six-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, obtaining by false pretence, forgery, and money laundering. Mohammed pleaded not guilty.
The court ordered that he be remanded at the Nigeria Correctional Service facility in Keffi, Nasarawa State, pending the hearing of his bail application fixed for July 17, 2025.
