Court jails two over N7.3m fraud in Maiduguri

Nkereuwem Effiong

Justice Aisha Ibrahim of the Borno State High Court in Maiduguri has convicted and sentenced two fraudsters, Abdullahi Suleiman and Ahmad Yahaya, to separate prison terms for defrauding victims of N7.378 million through false business deals.

The duo was arraigned on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, on separate one-count charges bordering on cheating and criminal misappropriation involving N7,378,000.

Suleiman was prosecuted for conspiring with two accomplices still at large, Ismail Luka and Ibrahim Musa, to defraud Mustapha Baraka Abubakar of N5 million under the pretence of exchanging the money for United States dollars, which he failed to deliver.

Yahaya, on the other hand, was charged with fraudulently obtaining N2.378 million from Abba Goni Hassan in 2025 after falsely presenting himself as the Chief Executive Officer of Siliki Millennium Oil and claiming the money was for the supply of foodstuff, flour and other related items, which he never supplied.

Head, Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, said both defendants pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them.

Following their pleas, prosecution counsel, Mukhtar Ali Ahmed, urged the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.

Justice Ibrahim subsequently sentenced Suleiman to one year imprisonment with an option of a N25,000 fine, while Yahaya received a 10-year jail term with an option of a N200,000 fine.

Suleiman’s prosecution followed his diversion of N5 million meant for a foreign exchange transaction for personal use, while Yahaya was jailed for misappropriating funds collected for the supply of goods he never delivered.