By Imisioluwa Afunmiso
A Borno State High Court sitting in Maiduguri has convicted and sentenced a woman, Yagana Musa Mohammed, to six months imprisonment for defrauding a man of N3.5 million under the guise of securing employment for him in Qatar.
Justice B.T. Zannah delivered the judgment on Wednesday after Mohammed pleaded guilty to a one-count amended charge of criminal misappropriation brought against her by the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to the EFCC, the convict dishonestly converted N3.5 million belonging to one Mohammed Tukur Yaji to her personal use in 2025 while falsely promising to secure a job for him in the State of Qatar.
The anti-graft agency said the offence contravenes Section 296 of the Penal Code Law and is punishable under Section 297 of the same law.
Following the defendant’s guilty plea, prosecution counsel, A.D. Abdulmalik, urged the court to convict and sentence her in line with the law.
Defence counsel, H.A. Aliyu, appealed for leniency, informing the court that the convict was remorseful and had restituted the complainant.
Justice Zannah subsequently sentenced Mohammed to six months imprisonment with an option of a N50,000 fine.
The EFCC said investigations revealed that the convict collected the N3.5 million from the victim on the false promise of securing employment for him in Qatar but failed to provide the job or initially refund the money, leading to her prosecution.