A Bureau de Change (BDC), operator, Jamilu Salisu Maude, has been arraigned by the operatives of the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Ikoyi-Lagos, before a Federal High Court, Lagos, on alleged criminal acts of unlawful possession, conversion and fraud of $165, 000, 00 USD an equivalent of N230 million.
The defendant, Jamilu Salisu Maude, who is a director in Copro Bureau de Change Limited, was arraigned before Justice Ibrahim Ahmad Kala on the alleged criminal acts, in a charge marked FHC/L/1120c/2025, filed by Barrister M. S. Usman, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP).
Arraigning the BDC Operator, the prosecutor, Barrister Sylvester Azubuike, informed the court that the defendant committed the offences between May and September 2025.
He told the court that the defendant, with an intention to commit the alleged criminal acts, lured one Abdulhadi Agege, to pay the sum of N250 million into an account domiciled in China, with the promise of paying him $165, 000 USD equivalent.
The prosecutor further told the court that, the defendant upon receiving the money in the account nominated to Agege, the nominal complainant, converted the money to his personal used and failed to pay the dollar equivalent as promised.
The prosecutor told the court that the defendant’s alleged criminal acts are contrary to contrary to section 18 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.
He also told the court that the act are contrary to Section 1 (1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act.
The BDC Operator however pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Based on his not guilty plea, the court after listening to submissions of D. O. Bankole, the lawyer to the defendant, Justice Kala admitted him to bail in the sum of N100 million with two sureties in like sum and among others.
The judge however ordered that the defendant be remanded in the facility of the Nigerian Correctional Services NCoS pending the perfection of the bail terms. While adjourned the matter for trial.
The charges against the BDC Operator read: “That you JAMILU SALISU MAUDE ‘M’ sometime between May and September, 2025 at Kano triable within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did acquire, retain and take possession of the sum of N230, 000, 000.00 (Two Hundred and Thirty-Million Naira) only belonging to one Abdulhadi Agege which is the Dollar equivalent you caused the said Abdulhadi Agege to transfer to an account provided by you in China and which sum you knew or reasonably ought to have known was the proceed of an unlawful act and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 18 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.
“That you JAMILU SALISU MAUDE ‘M’, sometime between May and September at Kano triable within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud did directly convert to your own use and benefit the sum of Two Hundred and Thirty Million Naira (N 230, 000, 000. 00) only the sum you knew or reasonably ought to have known was the proceed of an unlawful act and thereby committed and offence contrary to Section 18(2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.
“That you JAMILU SALISU MAUDE ‘M’ sometime between the Month of May, 2025 and September, 2025 at Kano, triable within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud did obtain the sum of $165, 000, 00 USD (One Hundred and Sixty five Thousand United States of America Dollars) from one Abdulhadi Agege ‘m’ under the pretext that you have the Naira equivalent, the representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act.”
