The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday, secured the conviction and sentencing of one Modu Ali before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, sitting in Maiduguri, the state capital.

The defendant was arraigned on a two count charge of criminal misappropriation to the tune of N570,000.

According to a statement made available to The Star on Thursday by EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, the defendant, while acting as an agent, dishonestly sold two plots of land to Suleiman Bukar and Abubakar Mala and refused to remit the money to the owner of the said land.

Uwujaren noted that the complainants eventually requested for the refund of their money but the defendant failed to return the money.

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Count two of the charge read: “That you Modu Ali on or about the 15th January, 2019 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court dishonestly misappropriated the sum of N270,000.00 (Two Hundred and Seventy Thousand Naira) only property belonging to one Suleiman Bukar of Dala Shehuri Maiduguri, Borno State being amount for the purchase of a plot of land laying and situate at Masa Malambe behind Bakasi Estate, Maiduguri, Borno State and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Sections 308 and 309 of the Penal Code, Laws of Borno State Cap. 102 Vol. 3 of 1994 respectively.”

The defendant, however, pleaded guilty to the charges.

Justice Kumaliya, thereafter, convicted and sentenced Ali to one year imprisonment with a fine option of N50,000.

The presiding judge also ordered the convict to restitute his victim the sum of N270,000.

The Star