RismadarVoice Reporters
June 3, 2026
A Borno State High Court sitting in Maiduguri has convicted and sentenced Bukar Ahmed Shuwa to 10 years’ imprisonment for obtaining ₦2.95 million under false pretences in a cryptocurrency-related scam.
Justice Aisha Kumaliya delivered the judgment on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, after the defendant was arraigned by the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a one-count amended charge bordering on cheating.
The EFCC told the court that Shuwa, in 2024, fraudulently induced one Mahmud Ali to part with ₦2.95 million under the guise of investing in “Crypto Bitget Wallet Coin,” a representation the prosecution said he knew to be false.
The charge stated that the funds were obtained through deceptive claims of a cryptocurrency investment opportunity, contrary to relevant provisions of the Penal Code Law.
Shuwa pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him, paving the way for summary conviction.
Following his plea, prosecution counsel A.D. Abdulmalik urged the court to convict him as charged, while defence counsel H. Basharu appealed for leniency, noting that the convict had refunded the stolen sum and asked the court to temper justice with mercy.
Justice Kumaliya, while delivering her ruling, convicted Shuwa and sentenced him to 10 years’ imprisonment with an option of a ₦200,000 fine.
The court held that although restitution had been made, the offence warranted punishment, but allowed the alternative fine in consideration of mitigating factors presented by the defence.
