A businesswoman named Halima Ibrahim, popularly known as Leema, has been brought before an upper shari’a court in Kano State’s Kofar Kudu over an alleged N500 million fraud against 31 market women.
Habiba Tijjani and 30 others filed the lawsuit in September 2022, asking the Sharia Court Khadi to order Halima Ibrahim to repay the alleged N500 million fraud proceed she is accused of defrauding them of.
In order to acquire furniture, kitchenware, toys, and household items from China, the plaintiffs claimed to have collectively paid Leema the sum of N500 million. However, they are yet to receive their orders.
They reported that the woman had refused to either deliver the products or refund their money, which prompted them to bring the matter before the Shari’a court, which was presided over by Ustaz Ibrahim Sarki Yola.
The majority of those affected live in neighboring states and must travel to Kano for the court case, according to some of the women who spoke to Radio Nigeria, including Fatima Abdullahi Shehu, Rashida Kardam, Aishatu Abubakar, Aisha Rabi’u, Habiba Tijjani, and Hassana Bello from Abuja, Adamawa, Katsina, Gombe, and Kaduna, respectively.
They stated that the majority of them were driven to the police station by their respective clients, that the husbands of others divorced them, and that roughly five of them died as a result of stress and pressure from clients who wanted their money back.
They added that after Halima promoted the goods in her WhatsApp group, a sizable sum of the money was paid to her bank account in installments.
“She later demanded for clearance fee after we placed the order, claiming that uncleared goods would be sold if the fee is not received within a short period.
” Leema had kept pledging to distribute the goods but after some months it became obvious that she defrauded us.
” All efforts to get their money back proved abortive,” they decried.
The women bemoaned that the case had to be postponed on Thursday since the defendant’s attorneys and the judge were not present, emphasizing that Halima Ibrahim had never shown up during the court session, which had been repeatedly postponed.
They said in an appeal to Sarki Yola to help them by expediting the ruling saying, “as a Judge with proven integrity, we believe that he would get to the root of the matter and do justice to us”.
Additionally, they made a plea for the governor of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and the emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, to step in and assist them in obtaining justice in the current case.
The women further lamented, “We also appeal to governor Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje khadimul Islam and Kano emirate council to come to our aid as we are in a difficult situation. Our life is in danger as our customers are threatening some of us. We don’t have peace of mind.”
Daily Post noted that the defendant’s attorneys, Aliyu and Yunusa, did not return calls or texts when their reporter tried to get in touch with them.
