Court jails man for land fraud in Maiduguri

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Maiduguri Zonal Command, secured the conviction and sentencing of one Sadiq Mustapha to one year imprisonment over a land fraud charge.

Mustapha was convicted of defrauding one Yawudi Zarma to the tune of N3.9 million, after Zarma paid the money for the purchase of a plot of land claimed to be owned by Mustapha.

The land is situated at the Pompomari Industrial Layout, Maiduguri, Borno State capital.

Mustapha didn’t hand over the land ownership to the buyer neither did he return his money to him.

The anti-graft agency made this known in a tweet posted via its handle on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.

While he was arraigned before Justice Umaru Fadawu of the Borno State High Court, Mustapha pleaded guilty to a one-count bordering on cheating to the tune of the said amount.

In view of his plea, prosecution counsel, A. I Arogha, prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendant accordingly.

Delivering the judgment, Fadawu sentenced the defendant to a year imprisonment with an option of a fine of N200,000.

The charge read, “That you Sadiq Mustapha on or about the 10th day of August 2017, at Maiduguri, within the judicial division of this Honourable Court, did fraudulently induce Yawudi Zarma to deliver to you the sum of three million, nine hundred thousand naira, N3,900,000.00, under the guise that the said amount represents payment for the purchase of a plot of land covered by grant right of occupancy No. BO/2065/16, Plot No. 7 on BOTP/64, Pompomari Industrial Layout, Maiduguri, which you claimed to be the owner and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 (a) of the Penal Code Law Cap. 102 Laws of Borno State and Punishable under Section 323 of the same Law.”