A Borno State High Court in Maiduguri has remanded businessman Sadi Babale at the Maiduguri Maximum Correctional Facility over an alleged ₦19 million fraud involving the sale of four plots of land, pending the hearing of his bail application.
The Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Babale before Justice Aisha Kumaliya on a one-count charge of criminal misappropriation, alleging that he dishonestly converted ₦19 million paid by a petitioner for the purchase of four plots of land that were later found to be non-genuine.
The EFCC told the court that the petitioner paid Babale the sum of ₦19 million for the acquisition of four plots of land.
Investigators alleged that the plots were not genuine and that the defendant subsequently diverted the funds for his personal use rather than completing the transaction or refunding the money.
The charge presented before the court reads: “That you, Sadi Babale, sometimes in September, 2024 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did dishonestly misappropriated the total sum of N19, 000,000.00 (Nineteen Million Naira) money belonging to one Alhaji Tijjani Mohammed and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 296 and punishable under section 297 of the Penal Code Laws of Borno State.”
Babale pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him in open court.
During the proceedings on Monday, prosecution counsel, Mukhtar Ahmed, asked the court to fix a date for trial and urged that the defendant be remanded in a correctional facility pending the determination of the case.
Defence counsel, J. Yakubu, informed the court of his intention to move a motion seeking bail for the defendant and requested that the application be heard.
In her ruling, Justice Kumaliya adjourned the matter to July 28, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and ordered that Babale be remanded at the Maiduguri Maximum Correctional Facility until further proceedings.