Justice Muhammad Maina of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri on Monday, August, 4, 2025, convicted one Alhaji Mala Gana to three years imprisonment.
Gana was first arraigned on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 by the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a one count charge for the offence of criminal misappropriation to the tune of N2,360,000.00 (Two Million, Three Hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira).
The charge reads: “That you, Alhaji Mala Gana, sometime in 2022 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, being entrusted with dominion over certain properties to wit; N2,360,000.00 00 (Two Million Six Hundred and Thirty Thousand Naira) by one Alhaji Goni Umar, as his investment for the supply of food items, such as groundnut and palm oil, did dishonestly misappropriated the said sum of N2,360,000.00 00 (Two Million Six Hundred and Thirty Thousand Naira) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 311 of the Penal Code Act Cap. 102 Laws of the Borno State of Nigeria and punishable under Section 312 of the same Law”.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the lone count charge when read to him.
At the resumed hearing of the matter on Monday , counsel to the defendant, A. Sale prayed the court to re-read the charge to the defendant and he subsequently pleaded guilty to the charge.
Counsel to the prosecution, S.O Saka prayed the court to convict him accordingly while Sale informed the court that the defendant has paid his victim in full.
Justice Maina thereafter convicted and sentenced Gana with an option of N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) or three years imprisonment.
His journey to the correctional facility started when he was entrusted with the sum of N 2, 360,000.00 (Two Million Six Hundred and Thirty Thousand Naira) as an investment for the supply of food items and electrical appliances, but diverted the money to his personal use.