In a significant legal development, Ahmad Abubakar Ahmad has been sentenced to a staggering 87 years in prison for his involvement in criminal activities amounting to N325,800,000 (Three Hundred and Twenty-Five Million, Eight Hundred Thousand Naira).
This verdict was handed down by Justice Malami Dogondaji of the Sokoto State High Court on Thursday, October 5, 2023, following Ahmad’s admission of guilt to 12 counts of charges related to criminal breach of trust and obtaining money by false pretence.
One of the charges reads: “That you Abubakar Ahmad Abubakar sometime in October 2022 in Sokoto within the Judicial Division of the High Court of Justice Sokoto State, while being entrusted with property, namely the total sum of N80,100,000.00 (Eighty Million, One Hundred Thousand Naira) by one Usama Abdullahi for the purpose of a Bureau de Change business; you dishonestly converted the said property/sum to your personal use in violation of the manner in which the trust was to be discharged and you thereby committed the offence of Criminal Breach of Trust contrary to Section 300 of the Sokoto State Penal Code Law 2019 and punishable under Section 301 of the same Law.”
Another charge states: “That you Abubakar Ahmad Abubakar sometime in March 2023 in Sokoto within the Judicial Division of the High Court of Justice Sokoto State, while being entrusted with property, namely the total amount of N50,000,000.00 (Fifty Million Naira) by one Najib Hamza for the purpose of a Bureau de Change business; you dishonestly converted the said property/sum to your personal use in violation of the manner in which the trust was to be discharged and you thereby committed the offence of Criminal Breach of Trust contrary to Section 300 of the Sokoto State Penal Code Law 2019, and punishable under Section 301 of the same Law.”
Upon being arraigned, the defendant pleaded guilty to all 12 counts of charges, prompting EFCC’s counsel, Kufre Ekpeyoung, to request that the court deliver an appropriate conviction. In defence of his client, Hamza Liman pleaded for a lenient sentence, citing Ahmad’s status as a first-time offender.
Justice Dogondaji subsequently handed down a verdict, sentencing Abubakar Ahmad Abubakar to 87 years in prison, with an alternative option of a fine of N200,000.00 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) for each count, amounting to a total fine of N2,400,000.00 (Two Million Four Hundred Thousand Naira). In addition, the judge ordered restitution of N225,661,000 (Two Hundred and Twenty-Five Million, Six Hundred and Sixty-One Thousand Naira) to be repaid to all the petitioners through the EFCC.
Ahmad’s legal ordeal began when he was apprehended by operatives of the Sokoto Zonal Command of the EFCC for defrauding 12 individuals of varying sums of money, allured by the false promise of lucrative investments in his alleged bureau-de-change business. Investigations conclusively revealed that Ahmad had promised his victims monthly returns of 50% to 100% on their investments, yet failed to provide any returns or reimburse their funds.
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