Justices Aisha Kumaliya and Amina Ibrahim of the Borno State High Court, sitting in Maiduguri on Tuesday, convicted and sentenced two persons to three years imprisonment each for fraud.

The convicts are; Anaryu Akindaraju and Umar Alhaji Bukar who were prosecuted by the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on one-count separate charges bordering on criminal misappropriation and cheating.

According to the Head of Media and Publicity, EFCC, Dele Oyewale, Akindaraju was convicted by Justice Kumaliya while Bukar was jailed by Justice Ibrahim.

The charge against Akindaraju reads: “That you, Anaryu Akindaraju, sometime in March, 2022 in Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly induced Alhaji Tijjani Muhammad to deliver to you the sum of N15,000,000.00 (Fifteen Million Naira) via your account number 0241908016 domiciled with FCMB, and vide your account number 0060784408 domiciled with Access Bank respectively, while some of the monies were transferred to you vide the account number 1010381257 bearing Abubakar Musa domiciled with UBA under the guise that the said amount represents payment for a purchase of three bed room flat situated at House of Assembly Quarters Maiduguri, Borno State, which you are yet to deliver and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 (a) and punishable under Section 322 of the Penal Code Cap. 102 Laws of Borno State”

That of Bukar reads: “That you, Umar Alhaji Bukar with National Identification Number 86732517860, sometimes in 2013 at Maiduguri Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly misappropriated the aggregate sum of N6,736,000.00 and a house estimated at N450,000.00 belonging to late Alhaji Bukar Fannami for the benefit of Aisha Bukar Fannami and Hauwa Buakr Fannami and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 308 and 309 of the Penal Code Law of Borno State Cap. 102 Vol. 3 of 1994 respectively.”

Oyewale said they all pleaded guilty to the charges when read to them and counsel for the prosecution Mukhtar Ali Ahmed, Faruk Muhammad and Abdulmalik D. Aliyu went ahead and prayed the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.

“Justice Kumaliya convicted and sentenced Akindaraju to two years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000.00 while Justice Ibrahim convicted and sentenced Bukar to one year imprisonment or an option of fine of N100,000.00.

“The convicts’ road to the Correctional Centre began when Akindaraju received payment for a purchase of a three bed room flat without delivering the property to the victim or returning the money to him.

“Bukar, on his own, dishonestly misappropriated an inheritance property and converted it to his use”.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into allegations of criminal activities within the Okere Correctional Centre in Warri, Delta State.

A recent armed robbery incident in Delta State was allegedly traced to inmates of the correctional centre.

Tunji-Ojo’s directive was contained in a statement issued by the Special Assistant to the Minister on Media and Publicity, Babatunde Alao, on Tuesday in Abuja.

The minister strongly condemned the alleged reprehensible behaviour, stressing that any form of indiscipline or misconduct would be met with severe consequences.

He reiterated his commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in the administration of justice within the correctional service system.

“I will not allow indiscipline to fester under my watch. Any officer found wanting will face the full weight of the law. The leadership of the Nigerian Correctional Service must provide explanations.

“We take these allegations seriously and will not tolerate any form of misconduct within our correctional facilities,” he stated.

The minister urged the general public to provide any relevant information that may aid the investigation.

The immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has criticised his successor, Governor Uba Sani, for supporting President Bola Tinubu, alleging that it is for personal gain.

In a post on X, El-Rufai claimed that Sani’s unwavering support for Tinubu was linked to over N150 billion in federal reimbursements received by Kaduna State in the past 18 months.

“Every day I see this governor embarrassingly and sycophantically rambling, I used to wonder why. However, confirming that Federal Government ‘reimbursements, interventions, and grants’ in excess of N150bn have been given selectively to Kaduna by Tinubu in the last 18 months now explains everything.

“By all means, defend Asiwaju for the conditional cash transfer. Asiwaju has earned it, coming from you. The people of Kaduna State will judge at the right time and place. Have a nice day,” El-Rufai wrote.

The former governor’s criticism comes in the wake of Sani’s remarks during a news interview on Monday, where he expressed surprise at the growing criticism of Tinubu’s administration from some founding members of the All Progressives Congress.