Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri, has convicted and sentenced Shehu Saleh to two years’ imprisonment for misappropriating N22 million meant for the execution of a contract. The conviction followed his arraignment by the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on a one-count charge of criminal misappropriation.
The EFCC said the charge stemmed from the diversion of N22,000,000 belonging to Zara Betara Aliyu. According to the anti-graft agency, the money was paid into Saleh’s accounts with Guaranty Trust Bank and First Bank for the execution of a contract involving an international organisation, but he converted the funds to personal use instead.
The charge read in court alleged that Saleh, sometime in 2024 in Maiduguri, within the court’s jurisdiction, “converted to your own use the gross sum of N22,000,000.00” and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 296 and punishable under Section 297 of the Penal Code Law of Borno State. He pleaded guilty when the charge was read to him.
Following the guilty plea, prosecution counsel, Mukhtar Ali Ahmed, urged the court to convict and sentence the defendant accordingly. Justice Kumaliya subsequently found Saleh guilty and sentenced him to two years in prison, with an option of a N100,000 fine. The court further ordered that if he defaulted on the fine, he would serve an additional six months’ imprisonment.
The case was disclosed late Tuesday by EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, who said the conviction underscored the commission’s continuing push to prosecute financial crimes and abuse of trust. The matter also highlights the risks surrounding contract-related fraud, particularly where funds entrusted for commercial or development purposes are diverted for personal gain.
Saleh’s “journey to the correctional facility,” as the EFCC put it, began after investigators found that the contract sum transferred to him for a specific assignment had not been used for that purpose. Instead, the agency said, he diverted the money for personal use, leading to his prosecution and eventual conviction.
The judgment adds to a growing list of convictions being secured by the EFCC in its campaign against fraud and financial misconduct across the country. For the commission, the Maiduguri ruling is another example of how the courts are responding to cases involving the diversion of entrusted funds, especially where the accused admits guilt.
