The Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Alhaji Abba Umar before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court on charges of criminal misappropriation involving land documents valued at ₦1.6 million.

The arraignment, which took place on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, centers on a one-count charge of dishonestly inducing another person to part with property documents, which the defendant allegedly sold to a third party without authorization.

According to the EFCC, Umar allegedly obtained title documents for a plot of land measuring 450 square meters located at No. BOTP/178 Abbaganaram Housing Estate in Maiduguri from one Modu Goni Sheriff in March 2022. The document, with right of occupancy no. BO/46605/4 dated March 19, 2002, was in the name of Mohammed Goni Umar.

Instead of holding the document in trust as reportedly agreed, the defendant allegedly sold the land to another individual for ₦1.6 million without delivering the proceeds or the land to the rightful owner.

The charge sheet partly reads: "That you, Alhaji Abba Umar, sometimes in March, 2022 in Maiduguri, Borno State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly induced Modu Goni Sheriff to deliver to you his title document... 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."

When the charge was read to him in court, Umar pleaded not guilty. Following his plea, prosecution counsel S.O. Saka requested that the court set a trial date and remand the defendant in custody.

Justice Kumaliya granted the prosecution's request and ordered that Umar be remanded at the Maiduguri Correctional Centre. The case has been adjourned to June 4, 2025, for the commencement of trial.

The EFCC stated that the case was initiated after the complainant reported that the defendant had betrayed his trust by selling the land and refusing to account for the proceeds.

Land fraud cases continue to be a significant concern in Nigeria's property sector, with regulatory authorities intensifying efforts to prosecute offenders and protect property owners from fraudulent transactions.