Businessman Sentenced to Three Years for N2.36m Fraud in Maiduguri

A Maiduguri High Court on Monday, August 4, 2025, sentenced businessman Alhaji Mala Gana to three years’ imprisonment for criminal misappropriation of N2,360,000, following his conviction by Justice Muhammad Maina of the Borno State High Court.

According to details from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Gana was arraigned by the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the agency on March 19, 2025, after allegedly misappropriating funds entrusted to him by Alhaji Goni Umar. Umar had given Gana the sum as an investment for the supply of food items like groundnut and palm oil, but Gana reportedly diverted the money for personal use.

The charge against Gana stated: “That you, Alhaji Mala Gana, sometime in 2022 at Maiduguri, Borno State, being entrusted with dominion over certain properties to wit; N2,360,000 by one Alhaji Goni Umar, as his investment for the supply of food items, did dishonestly misappropriate the said sum and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 311 of the Penal Code Act Cap. 102 Laws of Borno State of Nigeria and punishable under Section 312 of the same Law.”

At the initial arraignment, Gana pleaded not guilty. However, during Monday’s resumed hearing, his counsel, A. Sale, requested the court to re-read the charge, after which Gana reversed his plea to guilty. Prosecution counsel S.O. Saka then urged the court to convict him accordingly, while the defence revealed that Gana had repaid the full amount to his victim.

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Justice Maina convicted Gana and handed down a custodial sentence of three years in prison, with the alternative of paying a fine of N200,000. The case underscores the ongoing efforts by the EFCC and the judiciary to address economic and financial crimes in Maiduguri and across Nigeria.

Gana’s journey to sentencing began when he was trusted with the N2.36m by Umar for an investment in foodstuffs and appliances, but subsequently diverted the sum for his personal benefit.