The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned four individuals before the Borno State High Court in Maiduguri over an alleged ₦50 million fraud.
The suspects — Mohammed Kolo Nuhu, Babagana Maru, Ahmadu Sale, and Alhaji Mala Gana — were brought before Justice Muhammad Maina on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, facing separate charges of criminal misappropriation and breach of trust.
According to the EFCC’s Maiduguri Zonal Directorate, the total sum involved stands at ₦50,030,000.
One of the charges against Nuhu alleges that he, alongside his company Kolomi Global Link Nigeria Limited, misappropriated ₦18.9 million entrusted to him by a non-governmental organization, Action Against Hunger, in September 2022. The funds, originally meant for one Mohammad Baba Shettima, were allegedly diverted for personal use — a violation of Sections 308 and 309 of the Penal Code Law of Borno State.
Similarly, Maru was accused of dishonestly converting ₦8.5 million in 2020. The money, given to him by Imam Manu Dauda as an advance payment for tricycles, was never used for its intended purpose. He faces charges under Sections 311 and 312 of the Penal Code Law.
All four defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Prosecuting counsels S.O. Saka and Faruku Muhammad requested trial dates and urged the court to remand the accused in custody.
Maru’s lawyer, Z.M. Umaru, made an oral application for his client’s bail, which Justice Maina granted in the sum of ₦10 million with two sureties of equal value. One of the sureties must be a blood relative or a recognized traditional titleholder.
The court adjourned the cases to April 26, 2025, for trial. The remaining defendants were remanded at the Maiduguri Maximum Correctional Center pending further hearings.
