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| Photo credit| EFCC Nigeria |
On Wednesday, November 27, 2024, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Maiduguri charged Bukar Umar Alhaji with land fraud in the Borno State High Court. The charge was about a scam where Alhaji took N2,100,000 (Two Million One Hundred Thousand Naira) from a man, Ibrahim Ismail, under false pretenses.
In March 2022, Alhaji, together with an accomplice named Babagoni Umar (who is still on the run), promised to sell two plots of land in Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State. The defendant took the money, claiming the land belonged to him. However, he knew that the land was not his to sell.
The charge against him is for obtaining money under false pretenses, which is illegal under Nigerian law. The EFCC is prosecuting him under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2005.
When the charges were read out in court, Alhaji pleaded "not guilty" to the charges. His lawyer, Faruk Muhammad, asked the judge to set a date for the trial and for Alhaji to be sent to prison until then.
Justice Maina agreed and set the trial to begin on December 4, 2024. Alhaji was sent to Maiduguri Maximum Correctional Facility while he waits for the trial.