Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri, has convicted and sentenced two individuals, Abubakar Rabiu Wada (a.k.a Sadiq Gali) and Abba Mohammed, to various jail terms for offences bordering on criminal misappropriation and unlawful possession of multiple ATM cards.
The convicts were arraigned on Thursday, July 31, 2025, by the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on separate one-count amended charges.
Wada was charged with criminal misappropriation and theft involving the sum of ₦7,000,000, while Mohammed was prosecuted for unlawful possession of 13 ATM cards belonging to different individuals.
According to the EFCC, Wada, in 2023, dishonestly misappropriated the sum of ₦7,000,000 received from one Sadiq Zubairu under the pretext of supplying broken rice but failed to deliver the goods or return the money.
The charge read:
“That you ABUBAKAR RABIU WADA (aka SADIQ GALI)… dishonestly misappropriated and converted to your own use the aggregate sum of ₦7,000,000.00 (Seven Million Naira) monies belonging to Sadiq Zubairu purportedly as payment for the supply of broken rice…”
Mohammed, on the other hand, was arrested in May 2025 after being apprehended by bank staff for attempting to swap and steal ATM cards of unsuspecting customers.
His charge read:
“That you, ABBA MOHAMMED… took unlawful possession of Thirteen (13) automated teller machines (ATM) cards… belonging to unsuspecting members of the public without their consent…”
Both defendants pleaded guilty to the charges.
Following their pleas, EFCC counsel A.D. Abdulmalik and S.O. Saka urged the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
Justice Kumaliya sentenced Wada to three years imprisonment with an option of ₦100,000 fine, while Mohammed received a one-year sentence with an option of ₦50,000 fine.
The EFCC noted that Wada’s prosecution followed a petition from his victim, while Mohammed was handed over to the Commission by vigilant bank staff who foiled his fraudulent attempt.
