A Kano State High Court sitting before Justice Maryam Ahmed Sabo has sentenced one Khalifa Hamza Aminu to five years’ imprisonment for dishonestly taking the sum of ₦59,546,540 from the bank account of a businessman, Yakub Mukthar, without his consent.
The convict, however, was given the option of paying a fine of ₦1 million in lieu of the jail term.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Aminu on a one-count charge of theft, with prosecution counsel Barrister Zalami Muhammad noting that the offence contravenes Section 286 and is punishable under Section 287 of the Penal Code.
According to the charge sheet, Aminu unlawfully withdrew the funds between 14th January and 4th June 2025 in Kano.
Delivering judgment, Justice Sabo ruled:
“The convict is hereby sentenced to pay a fine of ₦1 million or serve five years’ imprisonment, in addition to the compensation as applied by the prosecution. I hereby invoke the provisions of Sections 3 and 320(1) of the Kano State Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) 2019 and similarly order the convict to compensate the sum of ₦59,546,540. Failure to pay shall result in an additional two years’ imprisonment.”
The court directed Aminu to refund the entire stolen sum to the complainant within 90 days. It further held that the convict reserves the right to appeal the judgment within the same period, pursuant to Sections 20(2) and 320(2) of the ACJL 2019.
