Court Jails Woman Over ₦3.5m Qatar Job Scam

A Borno State High Court sitting in Maiduguri has sentenced a woman, Yagana Mohammed, to six months’ imprisonment for fraud involving ₦3.5 million.

Justice B.T. Zannah handed down the judgment on Wednesday after the defendant pleaded guilty to a one-count amended charge of criminal misappropriation filed by the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

According to the EFCC, Mohammed dishonestly converted ₦3.5 million belonging to one Mohammed Tukur Yaji after promising to secure him a job in the State of Qatar.

During the trial, the prosecution, led by A.D. Abdulmalik, urged the court to convict the defendant based on her guilty plea.

Defence counsel, H.A. Aliyu, appealed for leniency, informing the court that the convict had shown remorse and refunded the victim’s money.

Justice Zannah subsequently sentenced Mohammed to six months in prison, with an option of a ₦50,000 fine.

The EFCC said the convict collected the money from the victim in 2025 under the false pretence of securing overseas employment in Qatar but neither provided the job nor returned the money until the matter was reported and investigated.