Four people were charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission with an alleged N50 million scam on Wednesday before Justice Muhammad Maina of the Borno State High Court in Maiduguri.
The defendants, Mohammed Nuhu, Babagana Maru, Ahmadu Sale, and Alhaji Mala Gana, were accused separately on charges of criminal misappropriation and breach of trust involving a total amount of N50,030,000, according to a statement released on Saturday via X.
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.”
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Following the reading of the charges, all four defendants entered not-guilty pleas. Prosecuting attorneys Faruku Muhammad and S.O. Saka asked the court to remand the defendants to a correctional facility and set trial dates, but Maru’s attorney, Z.M. Umaru, requested his client’s bail orally.
“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.
