Justice Muhammad Maina of the Borno State High Court,
Maiduguri on Monday, August, 4, 2025, convicted one Alhaji Mala Gana to three
years imprisonment.
Gana was first arraigned on Wednesday,
March 19, 2025 by the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a one count charge for the offence of
criminal misappropriation to the tune of N2,360,000.00 (Two Million, Three
Hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira).
The charge reads: “That you, Alhaji Mala Gana,
sometime in 2022 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this
Honourable Court, being entrusted with dominion over certain properties to wit;
N2,360,000.00 00 (Two Million Six Hundred and Thirty Thousand Naira) by one
Alhaji Goni Umar, as his investment for the supply of food items, such as
groundnut and palm oil, did dishonestly misappropriated the said sum of
N2,360,000.00 00 (Two Million Six Hundred and Thirty Thousand Naira) and
you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 311 of the Penal Code Act
Cap. 102 Laws of the Borno State of Nigeria and punishable under Section 312 of
the same Law”.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the lone count
charge when read to him.
At the resumed hearing of the matter on Monday ,
counsel to the defendant, A. Sale prayed the court to re-read the charge
to the defendant and he subsequently pleaded guilty to the charge.
Counsel to the prosecution, S.O Saka prayed the
court to convict him accordingly while Sale informed the court that the
defendant has paid his victim in full.
Justice Maina thereafter convicted and sentenced Gana
with an option of N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) or three years
imprisonment.
His journey to the correctional facility started when
he was entrusted with the sum of N 2, 360,000.00 (Two Million Six Hundred and
Thirty Thousand Naira) as an investment for the supply of food items and
electrical appliances, but diverted the money to his personal use.
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