Four People Charged Over N44m Contract Scam in Maiduguri

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged four people on Tuesday for a N44.7 million contract scam in Maiduguri, Borno State.

The defendants include two women and two men. The women are Ruth Emmanuel and Esther Gabari, while the men are Ibrahim Hyelni and Gbenga Obanewo.

The EFCC brought them before trial judge Muhammad Maina at the Borno State High Court in Maiduguri. They face eight charges, including conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence, criminal misappropriation, forgery, and using false documents.

A statement from EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale on Tuesday said the four people conspired in December 2025 and fraudulently took N44.7 million from a man named Ali Abatcha for a supposed contract.

The statement did not reveal the relationship between the defendants and Mr Abatcha or details about the contract. However, the EFCC mentioned that the defendants collected the money from Mr Abatcha using Mr Hyelni’s Guaranty Trust Bank account. They claimed the funds were for a contract awarded by Global Health and Social Awareness (Ghasa) Foundation to Ruhemd Global Enterprises.

The EFCC stated that the defendants misrepresented the purpose of the funds, committing an offence under Sections 1(1) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges. After their plea, prosecution lawyer S.O. Saka asked the court to set a trial date and keep the defendants in a correctional centre.

A defence lawyer for the first two defendants, B. Balama, requested bail for Ms Emmanuel due to health reasons. The judge granted her bail at N50 million with two sureties who must live in Maiduguri. One surety must provide a title document worth N50 million to the court’s registrar.

The judge adjourned the case until 4 November to start the trial and ordered the defendants to remain in the correctional centre until then. The defendants were arrested for allegedly conspiring and collecting a total of N44.7 million from their victim for a contract that the commission said was not real.