The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has brought a man, Muhammad Korimi Abdullahi, before the Borno State High Court in Maiduguri over an alleged criminal breach of trust involving ₦186 million.
Abdullahi was arraigned on Tuesday by the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the anti-graft agency before Justice Maina Lawan. He is facing a six-count charge connected to allegations of dishonestly converting funds entrusted to him for purposes other than those for which they were allegedly provided.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to all the allegations when the charges were read to him in court.
The case centres on the EFCC’s allegation that Abdullahi unlawfully dealt with a substantial amount of money placed in his care. According to the Commission, the total value involved in the six-count case is ₦186,000,000.
One of the counts specifically concerns ₦30 million which the EFCC said was transferred electronically into Abdullahi’s bank account.
The Commission alleged that after receiving the money, the defendant dishonestly converted it for his personal use.
The alleged transaction was said to have occurred on February 14, 2024, in Maiduguri, Borno State, within the jurisdiction of the court.
According to the charge filed by the EFCC, Abdullahi had been entrusted with ₦30 million through an electronic transfer but allegedly diverted the funds rather than using them for the purpose for which they were entrusted to him.
The Commission is prosecuting the case under the provisions of the Borno State Penal Code Law and Other Matters Connected Therewith Law, 2023.
Specifically, the EFCC cited Section 299 of the law, which it said covers the alleged offence of criminal breach of trust. The Commission also stated that the alleged offence is punishable under Section 300 of the same law.
The arraignment marks the formal commencement of the criminal proceedings against Abdullahi. However, his not-guilty plea means that the allegations remain contested and must be established by the prosecution before the court can make a finding of guilt.
Following the defendant’s plea, counsel to the EFCC, N.T. Iko, asked the court to adjourn the matter for trial.
The prosecution also requested that Abdullahi be remanded in a correctional facility pending further proceedings in the case.
Justice Maina Lawan granted the request and ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Maiduguri Maximum Correctional Centre.
The court subsequently fixed September 7, 2026, for further proceedings.
The development adds another case to the EFCC’s continuing prosecution of alleged financial crimes across Nigeria. In cases involving criminal breach of trust, the prosecution is required to establish the circumstances under which money or property was entrusted to the accused and demonstrate that the accused subsequently dealt with it in a manner that amounted to a breach of that trust.
In Abdullahi’s case, the Commission’s allegation is that money was transferred to his account and that he subsequently converted at least part of the funds for his personal use.
The ₦30 million transaction specifically identified in the charge is one of the allegations contained in the six-count case, while the EFCC has put the total amount involved across the charges at ₦186 million.
The case is now expected to move into the trial stage, where the prosecution will present evidence in support of its allegations and the defendant will have the opportunity to challenge the case against him.
The next major development is scheduled for September 7, when the Borno State High Court is expected to continue proceedings.
Until the court determines otherwise, Abdullahi remains presumed innocent, as his arraignment and the allegations contained in the charge do not amount to a conviction.
The EFCC’s case against him will therefore be determined through the judicial process, with the prosecution expected to prove the allegations beyond the required legal standard before any conviction can be entered.
For now, the defendant remains in custody at the Maiduguri Maximum Correctional Centre following the court’s remand order, while the ₦186 million alleged criminal breach of trust case awaits further proceedings.