In the trial of the former Chairman and Secretary of the University of Jos’ (UniJos) Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), Kassam Kopte and Yakubu Zwalnan, witnesses have testified in court, detailing how union members incurred a loss exceeding N178 million due to alleged land fraud committed by the union executives.
The Second Prosecution Witness (PW2), Dabup Luka Jacob, who is a lecturer in the UniJos on Wednesday narrated before Justice S.P Gang of the Plateau State High Court sitting in Jos, the state capital how Kopte and Zwalnan allegedly lured union members into fraudulent land deals and defrauded them.
Kopte and Zwalnan are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on three counts bordering on criminal breach of trust and conspiracy to defraud union members to the tune of N178,583,560.36.
The EFCC said that the alleged offence contravenes Section 97 of the Penal Code Laws of Plateau State, and is punishable under the same Law.
Jacob at Wednesday’s court session when he was led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Steve Odiase, told the court that he lost the sum of N448,200 to the two defendants, being the total cost of two plots of land he chose to buy.
The witness said, “My Lord, in 2012, they advertised plots of land to the university community, I subscribed for four plots of land. Two were shown to me, while the remaining two I have no idea about. And the two I was shown have no title documents for me to claim them as mine. No evidence to call them mine.
“I paid for the two plots through direct lodgments into the NASU plots of land account they gave us, while the remaining two are to be deducted from my salary. I have a photocopy of the evidence of payments because the originals are with the union.”
Also, the Third Prosecution Witness (PW3), James Wazhi Jangfa, in his testimony told the court that he lost N896,400 to Kopte and Zwalnan, being the total cost of five plots of land he was deceived into buying by the two defendants.
Jangfa said, “My Lord, I subscribed for five plots of land. I paid for three while the other two were to be deducted from my salary. Three plots of land were shown to me and I accepted, while I was shown another two in a valley which I rejected.
“Of the total lands, my Lord, none has a document to back it up even after we paid for land title fees and other formalities. So technically, my Lord, I can’t claim any of the land because it has no paper document to back them up.”
On Tuesday, the First Prosecution Witness (PW1), Bitrus Ayuba, had told the court that he lost the sum of N448,000 to Kopte and Zwalnan in the alleged fraudulent land purchase.
Ayuba had said, “As at that time my Lord, in one of our meetings, they advertised plots of land to us, stating that all interested persons should indicate his or her interest and that he or she would get it. We asked them the price of a plot of land and they told us it was N170,000.
“I then showed interest and paid the sum of N340,000 (Three Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira) for two plots of land. After a while, they told us again to pay the sum of N54,000 for land title documents and I paid for the two plots I paid for earlier.”
It was gathered that all the evidence of payments made by the witnesses were admitted exhibits in court by Justice Gang after scaling stiff objections from D.G Dashe and I.P Gyang, counsels to the first and second defendants, respectively.
The judge thereafter adjourned the matter till May 14 and 15 for continuation of trial.
