The Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned one Alhaji Abba Umar before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court over an alleged land fraud amounting to ₦1,600,000.
Umar was docked on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, on a one-count charge of criminal misappropriation, stemming from his alleged illegal sale of a plot of land entrusted to him. According to the EFCC, in March 2022, Umar dishonestly induced one Modu Goni Sheriff to hand over a title document for a 450-square-meter plot located at Abbaganaram Housing Estate, Maiduguri. The land, registered under the right of occupancy no. BO/46605/4, was subsequently sold by Umar to another buyer without the owner’s knowledge or consent.
The charge reads in part:
“That you, Alhaji Abba Umar, sometimes in March, 2022… dishonestly induced Modu Goni Sheriff to deliver to you his title document… which you sold to another person… and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 (a) and punishable under Section 322 of the Penal Code Cap 102 Laws of Borno State.”
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him. Following his plea, EFCC counsel S.O. Saka requested the court to set a trial date and order Umar’s remand in custody.
Justice Aisha Kumaliya granted the prosecution’s prayer, remanding the defendant in a Maiduguri Correctional Centre and adjourning the case until June 4, 2025.
The arraignment underscores the EFCC’s continued effort to tackle land fraud and ensure justice for victims of property-related scams in the North-East region.
