Ahmad Abubakar Ahmad has been found guilty and sentenced to 87 years in prison by Justice Malami Dogondaji of the Sokoto State High Court. The charges were criminal breach of trust and obtaining by false pretence, involving a sum of N325,800,000 (Three Hundred and Twenty Five Million, Eight Hundred Thousand Naira).
The conviction was handed down on Thursday, October 5, 2023, after Ahmad pleaded guilty to a 12-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and obtaining by false pretence. The charges were brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The charges read that Ahmad, in October 2022 and March 2023, dishonestly converted entrusted property for his personal use in violation of the Sokoto State Penal Code Law 2019. The property in question included sums of N80,100,000.00 (Eighty Million One Hundred Thousand Naira) and N50,000,000.00 (Fifty Million Naira) entrusted to him for the purpose of Bureau de Change business.
Upon arraignment, Ahmad pleaded guilty to all the charges preferred against him. In light of his plea, EFCC’s counsel, Kufre Ekpeyoung prayed the court to convict him accordingly. Defence counsel, Hamza Liman pleaded for a lighter sentence for his client “in view of the fact that he is a first-time offender”.
Justice Dogondaji thereafter convicted and sentenced Ahmad to 87 years imprisonment with an option of fine of N200,000.00 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) on each count totalling N2,400.000.00 (Two Million Four Hundred Thousand Naira). He also ordered restitution of N225,661,000 (Two Hundred and Twenty Five Million Six Hundred and Sixty One Thousand Naira) to all the petitioners through the EFCC.
Ahmad’s journey to the Correctional Centre began when he was arrested by operatives of the Sokoto Zonal Command of the EFCC for defrauding 12 different persons various sums of money under the guise of investments in his purported bureau de change business which investigations proved to be false.
Investigations further revealed that Ahmad promised his victims between 50% to 100% interests on their investments monthly. He neither offered them any return on their investment nor refunded their money to them.