On February 18, 2019, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,  arraigned one Ijudigal Adamu Wabba before Justice Fadawu Umar of the Borno State High Court,  sitting in Maiduguri, on two counts bordering on criminal breach of trust and obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N7, 400,600.

The accused, Adamu Wabba, was alleged to have sold goods worth more than N7million and converted the sum to his personal use.

It was gathered that one Yakubu Dauda who alleged the offences of criminal breach of trust and obtaining by false pretence had on February 24, 2017 lodged a criminal complaint against the accused to the Commission.

According to the petitioner, a businessman who supplies grains (beans and maize) from Aski/Uba to Lagos had in 2015 supplied grains worth N7million to the accused person who requested for the goods.

The petitioner further alleged that after he supplied the grains, the accused sold the goods and converted the money to his personal use.

Count one of the charge reads

“That you, Ijudugal Adamu Wabba sometimes in 2015 at Akira/Uba, Borno State within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, dishonestly converted to your personal use the sum of N 7, 400, 600.00 (seven million, Four Hundred Thousand Six Hundred Naira) only, being proceeds of sales of grains (beans and maize) which was meant to be remitted to one Yakubu Dauda who entrusted the said sum to you and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under sections 311 and 312 of the Penal Code Laws of Borno State Cap. 102 Vol. 3 of the 1994 respectively.”

When the charges were read to the accused, Wabba pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Counsel to the prosecution, Khalid Sanusi asked for trial date.

Thereafter, Justice Umar adjourned the matter to February 20, 2019 for commencement of trial and ordered that the accused person be remanded in the prison custody.

In a related development, the Commission also arraigned one Alhaji Danladi Yunusa (also known as Bubaruro), for N3 million fraud on February 18, 2019 before Justice Abubakar Jauro of the Gombe State High Court in a case of obtaining money by false pretense and misappropriating the sum of N3,050,000.

The accused was alleged to have collected the money from Alhaji Sirojo Abubakar, money meant for the supply of groundnut cake, having promised to make a supply within a week of payment.

Instead of living up to his promise, the accused fled with the money and all effort made to trace him proveD abortive as he relocated from his known address, thereby committing an offence, contrary to Section 311 and punishable under Section 312 of the Penal Code Laws, Law of Northern Nigeria.

The charge was read to the accused person and he pleaded guilty.

Prosecution Counsel, S. E. Okemini, relied on the plea of the accused person and supported by the exhibits tendered to the court and urged the court to convict the accused person.

Justice Jauro adjourned the case to March 5, 2019 for sentence after he pronounced the defendant guilty and convicted as charged.