Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned one Rufai Abdulkarim before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court, Kaduna Division, on a one‑count charge of criminal misappropriation of funds. The charge, dated April 20, 2026, alleges that Abdulkarim dishonestly misappropriated the sum of N2,000,000 (Two Million Naira only), property of one Timothy Tachio, in violation of Section 293 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017, which is punishable under Section 294 of the same Law.
The offence is said to have occurred on or about February 4, 2021. According to a petition filed by the complainant, Tachio had paid Abdulkarim the N2 million as a part payment for a piece of land valued at N7 million. The agreement was that the payment would secure the property, with the balance to be settled later. However, the petitioner alleged that Abdulkarim diverted the money to his personal use and thereafter refused to either complete the land transaction or refund the money. All efforts to recover the funds, the petitioner claimed, proved abortive, prompting him to report the matter to the anti‑graft agency.
During the arraignment, which took place on Monday, April 27, 2026, the charge was read to the defendant in open court. Abdulkarim pleaded “not guilty”. In response, prosecuting counsel, Moses Arumemi, asked the court to set a trial date and requested that the defendant be remanded in custody pending the determination of the case. The defence counsel, Kabiru Mohammed, did not oppose the request for a trial date but immediately moved an oral application for bail. He urged the court to grant his client bail on liberal terms, arguing that the alleged offence was bailable and that the defendant had not been previously convicted.
Justice Darius Khobo, after listening to submissions from both counsel, declined to grant bail at that stage. He ordered that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the EFCC pending a ruling on the formal bail application. “The defendant shall remain in EFCC custody. A date for ruling on the bail application will be communicated to the parties,” the judge ruled. The court has yet to fix a specific date for the ruling or the commencement of trial, but sources within the EFCC expect the case to be fast‑tracked given the straightforward nature of the allegations.
The EFCC’s Kaduna Zonal Directorate has been active in prosecuting land‑related fraud, a growing category of economic crime in the state. In recent years, the commission has received numerous complaints from residents who have lost life savings to fake land sellers, double allocations, and sellers who renege on agreements after collecting payments. In 2025 alone, the Kaduna zonal office recorded over 70 petitions related to land fraud, with a total value exceeding N500 million. The agency has emphasised that it will pursue not only the recovery of proceeds of crime but also custodial sentences for convicted offenders.
Reacting to the arraignment, a legal practitioner who spoke on condition of anonymity noted that Section 293 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law defines criminal misappropriation as the dishonest conversion of another person’s property for one’s own use. “The key element is dishonesty. If the prosecution can show that the defendant received the money for a specific purpose and then used it for something else without the owner’s consent, a conviction is very likely,” he said. The maximum penalty under Section 294 is imprisonment for up to two years, a fine, or both, though the court has discretion depending on the circumstances.
Members of the public have welcomed the EFCC’s intervention. A civil society activist in Kaduna, Hajiya Aisha Bello, told reporters that many land buyers are defrauded by individuals posing as legitimate sellers or agents. “These fraudsters destroy family savings. The EFCC must continue to prosecute them to serve as a deterrent,” she said. The Kaduna State Government has also launched a digital land registration system to reduce the incidence of double allocation and fake documents, but the system is not yet fully operational, leaving room for fraudsters to operate.
The case of Rufai Abdulkarim is the latest in a string of fraud prosecutions by the EFCC’s Kaduna zonal office. In March 2026, a man was convicted and sentenced to six months imprisonment for fraudulently obtaining N1.5 million under the pretence of selling a plot of land in Kakuri. In February, a couple was arrested for allegedly collecting N3.2 million from multiple buyers for the same plot of land in Barnawa. The EFCC has repeatedly warned the public to verify land titles before making payments and to insist on proper documentation witnessed by legal practitioners.
The defendant, Rufai Abdulkarim, who was not available for comment after the proceedings, has the right to challenge the charge at trial. His legal team is expected to file a formal bail application in writing, which the court will consider before the next hearing. The EFCC has assured the complainant that the matter will be pursued diligently and that every effort will be made to recover the N2 million, which could still be subject to a restitution order if the defendant is convicted.
As the wheels of justice turn slowly in Kaduna, the complainant, Timothy Tachio, expressed cautious optimism. “I have waited five years for this day. I only want my money back or the land I paid for. I trust the court to do the right thing,” he told a local reporter. For now, Abdulkarim remains in EFCC custody, and the people of Kaduna watch to see whether another land fraudster will face the consequences of his actions.
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