A man is charged by the EFCC for land racketeering in Borno

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Maiduguri Zonal Directorate, on Wednesday, arraigned one Bukar Umar Alhaji before Justice Muhammad Maina of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri, on a two-count bordering on obtaining by false pretense and criminal misappropriation to the tune of N2,100,000.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to him.

Counsel to the prosecution, Faruk Muhammad urged the court for a trial date and to remand the defendant in prison custody.

Count one of the charges reads: “That you Bukar Umar Alhaji, with National Identification Number (NIN) 9584243514, and Babagoni Umar (now at large), sometime in March, 2022, in Maiduguri Borno State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did with intent to defraud obtained the gross sum of N2,100,000.00 from Ibrahim Ismail under the guise that the said money is for the sale of two plots of land to him situated at Mafa Local Government Area, Borno State, the land which you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a)&(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2005 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”

Justice Maina thereafter adjourned till December 4, 2023, for the commencement of the trial and remanded the defendant in Maiduguri Maximum Correctional facility.

His journey to the correctional facility started when he sold two plots of land not belonging to him and refused to pay back the money paid to him by his victim.