A Borno State High Court sitting in Maiduguri has convicted and sentenced one Shehu Saleh to two years imprisonment for criminal misappropriation involving ₦22 million.
Justice Aisha Kumaliya delivered the judgment after Saleh was arraigned by the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a one-count charge bordering on fraud and diversion of funds.
The charge stated that the defendant, in 2024 within Maiduguri, allegedly converted ₦22,000,000 belonging to one Zara Betra Aliyu for personal use after it was transferred into his bank accounts domiciled with Guaranty Trust Bank and First Bank.
According to the EFCC, the money was meant for the execution of a contract with an international organisation but was instead diverted by the defendant for personal benefit.
The charge read in part that the act contravened Sections 296 and 297 of the Penal Code Law of Borno State.
During proceedings, the defendant pleaded guilty to the charge.
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EFCC counsel, Mukhtar Ali Ahmed, urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
Justice Kumaliya subsequently found him guilty and sentenced him to two years imprisonment, with an option of a ₦100,000 fine. In default of payment, the defendant will serve an additional six months in custody.
The court ruled that the sentence reflected both the gravity of the offence and the defendant’s guilty plea, bringing the trial to a close.
