The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday, arraigned four individuals before Justice Muhammad Maina of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri, over an alleged N50 million fraud.
According to a statement on Saturday via X, the defendants, identified as Mohammed Nuhu, Babagana Maru, Ahmadu Sale, and Alhaji Mala Gana, were charged separately on allegations of criminal misappropriation and breach of trust involving a total sum of N50,030,000.
One of the charges against Nuhu read, “That you, Mohammed Kolo Nuhu and Kolomi Global Link Nigeria Limited, sometime in September 2022 in Maiduguri, Borno State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, misappropriated and converted for your own use the sum of N18,900,000.00 only belonging to one Mohammad Baba Shettima, given to you by a non-governmental organisation, Action Against Hunger, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Sections 308 and 309 of the Penal Code Law of Borno State (Cap. 102 Vol. 3 of 1994) respectively.”
Similarly, Maru’s charge read, “That you, Babagana Maru, sometime in 2020 at Maiduguri, Borno State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, being entrusted with dominion over certain properties to wit; N8,500,000.00 by Imam Manu Dauda as advance payment for the purchase of tricycles, did dishonestly misappropriate the entire sum and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 311 of the Penal Code Law Cap. 102 Laws of Borno State and punishable under Section 312 of the same law.”
When the charges were read to them, all four defendants pleaded not guilty.
Prosecuting counsel S.O. Saka and Faruku Muhammad requested the court to set trial dates and to remand the defendants in a correctional facility.
However, Maru’s counsel, Z.M. Umaru, made an oral application for his client’s bail.
“Justice Maina thereafter admitted Maru to bail in the sum of N10m with two sureties in the like sum. One of the sureties must be a blood relative of the defendant or a traditional title holder.
“The cases were adjourned to April 26, 2025 for commencement of trial and all the defendants were remanded in Maiduguri Maximum Correctional Center,” the statement added.
