A High Court in Maiduguri has convicted and sentenced Shehu Saleh to two years’ imprisonment for fraud involving N22 million.
The judgment was delivered by Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court following the prosecution of the defendant by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Maiduguri Zonal Directorate.
Saleh was arraigned on a one-count charge bordering on criminal misappropriation of N22,000,000 belonging to one Zara Betra Aliyu.
According to the charge, the defendant in 2024, within the jurisdiction of the court, converted the sum to his personal use after it was transferred into his accounts domiciled with Guaranty Trust Bank and First Bank.
The offence is said to contravene Section 296 and is punishable under Section 297 of the Penal Code Law of Borno State.
When the charge was read to him, Saleh pleaded guilty.
Following his plea, prosecution counsel, Mukhtar Ali Ahmed, urged the court to convict and sentence the defendant accordingly.
In her ruling, Justice Kumaliya convicted Saleh and sentenced him to two years imprisonment with an option of a N100,000 fine. The court also ruled that failure to pay the fine would attract an additional six months imprisonment.
The court heard that the convict received the N22 million for the execution of a contract with an international organisation but diverted the funds for personal use, leading to his arrest and prosecution.
