By Joe Udo
Justice Mohammed Maina of the Borno State High Court sitting in Maiduguri, on Wednesday April, 15, 2026 convicted and sentenced Akeem Oriade Adeyinka to various jail terms for obtaining money under false pretence to the tune of N13,000,000 (Thirteen Million Naira).
The convict was arraigned on Wednesday, September 23, 2025, by the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on two-count separate charges bordering on obtaining by false pretence and criminal misappropriation to the tune of N3,000,000 (Three Million Naira) and N10,000,000.00 (Ten Million Naira) respectively.
Count one reads: “That you, Akeem Oriade Adeyinka with National Identification Number 44795766679 sometimes in 2024 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did obtain the gross sum of N3,000,000 (Three Million Naira) from Oseni Ibrahim Alani purportedly as money for financing a contract a claimed which you knew to be false, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences, Act 2006 and Punishable under section (3) of the same Act.”
Another count reads: “That you, Akeem Oriade Adeyinka on or about June, 2024 in Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud obtain the aggregate sum of N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) from Haruna Malim under the false pretence that same is meant for an investment into the business of purchase and supply of counting machine (aka dropper) and Automated Teller Machine parts in order to execute a contract you secured in Cameroon, a representation which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences, Act 2006 and Punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”
The defendant pleaded “not guilty” to the charges preferred against him, prompting prosecution counsel, S.O Saka and A. D Abdulmalik to present witnesses and tender several documents before the court in order to prove their cases.
Thereafter, Justice Maina convicted and sentenced Adeyinka on count one to three years imprisonment with an option of N300, 000 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira). He was also ordered to pay the sum of N3, 000,000 (Three Million Naira) to the petitioner or in default to serve an additional seven years imprisonment.
On count two, Adeyinka was sentenced to three years imprisonment with an option of N100, 000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira).
The judge further ordered the convict to pay the sum of N10, 000,000 (Ten Million Naira) to the petitioner or in default to serve 10 years imprisonment. The sentence runs consecutively.
The convict’s journey to the Correctional facility started when he obtained and misappropriated the sum of N13million from two petitioners for the purchase and supply of Automated Teller Machines and for financing a contract. He neither delivered the items for which he obtained money nor returned the money to the petitioners.
In another development, the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of EFCC, on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, arraigned Alhaji Abdullahi Hamman before Justice Muhammad Maina of the Borno State High Court sitting in Maiduguri.
The defendant was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N 2,600,000 (Two Million Six Hundred Thousand Naira).
Count one of the charges read: “That you Abdullahi Hamman between the period of May, 2021 to January, 2023 in Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud obtained the aggregate sum of N 2,600,000 (Two Million Six Hundred Thousand Naira) from John Haruna, under the false pretense that same is meant for the purchase of two (2) plots of land, plot number 19 and 20 measuring 900 square metres situated and Iaying at Galaxy, behind 1000 Housing Estate Maiduguri, Borno State purportedly belonging to you, a representation which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) and punishable under Section 1 (13) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud related offences Act, 2006.”
The defendant pleaded “not guilty” to the charges preferred against him by the EFCC. Thereafter, prosecution counsel S.O Saka prayed for a hearing date and to remand the defendant in a correctional facility.
The defence counsel U. B Modu made an oral bail application on behalf of the defendant. Thereafter, Justice Maina granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N10, 000,000.00 (Ten Million Naira) with two sureties.
The judge further ordered that one of the sureties must be a relative of the defendant and the other must have a landed property situated in the Maiduguri metropolitan area.
The matter was adjourned till April 26, 2026, for commencement of hearing while the defendant was remanded in Maiduguri Maximum Facility.
