EFCC secures conviction as Borno High Court sentences Shehu Saleh to two years imprisonment or ₦100,000 fine over diverted funds

A Borno State High Court sitting in Maiduguri has sentenced Shehu Saleh to two years in prison for fraud involving ₦22 million, with an option of a ₦100,000 fine.

Justice Aisha Kumaliya delivered the judgment after Saleh was arraigned by the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a one-count charge of criminal misappropriation.

The court heard that in 2024, Saleh diverted ₦22,000,000 entrusted to him for contract execution and instead converted the funds for personal use after they were transferred into his bank account.

The charge bordered on violations of Sections 296 and 297 of the Penal Code Law of Borno State.

During proceedings, the defendant pleaded guilty, prompting EFCC counsel Mukhtar Ali Ahmed to urge the court to proceed with conviction and sentencing.

Justice Kumaliya ruled that Saleh be sentenced to two years imprisonment, with an option of a ₦100,000 fine. Failure to pay the fine will attract an additional six months behind bars.

The ruling underscores the continued crackdown by anti-graft agencies on financial misconduct and the enforcement of accountability in public and private transactions.