Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Monday, September 7, 2026, arraigned one Bilal Muhammad before Justice B.T. Zanna of the Borno State High Court sitting in Maiduguri. The defendant, who is the CEO of GDF Homes Sale Enterprises Limited, faces a two-count charge bordering on criminal misappropriation and obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N600,000.
According to the charge sheet, the defendant allegedly obtained the sum of N600,000 from a petitioner under the guise of selling a tricycle, popularly known as Keke Napep. Count one of the charge reads: "That you, Bilal Muhammad CEO of GDF Homes Sale Enterprises Limited, sometimes in 2025 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did obtain the sum of N600,000.00 (Six Hundred Thousand Naira) under the guise of selling Keke Napep and thereby committed an offence contrary to 1 (1)(a) & (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under 1 (3) of the same Act."
The defendant pleaded "not guilty" to the charges when they were read to him. Prosecution counsel, A.D. Abdulmalik, requested a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendant in EFCC custody pending the commencement of trial.
Justice Zanna adjourned the matter until September 22, 2026, for the commencement of hearing and ordered that the defendant be remanded in EFCC custody.
The EFCC's arrest of Muhammad followed a petition from a complainant who alleged that the defendant had collected N600,000 for the purchase of a tricycle but failed to deliver the vehicle or refund the money. The case is one of several fraud-related prosecutions the EFCC has pursued in Borno State as part of its broader crackdown on financial crimes across the country.
The arraignment comes amid the EFCC's continued efforts to combat economic and financial crimes in Nigeria, with the commission recently reporting the recovery of over N1.23 trillion in proceeds of crime between October 2023 and July 2026. The case against Bilal Muhammad is expected to proceed on September 22, when the court will hear the substantive matter.
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