The Adamawa State High Court has discharged and acquitted a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sheriff Abubakar Rabiu, of alleged conversion of properties valued at ₦80 million.
Naijaonpoint reports that Rabiu, a former Chief Security Officer to ex-Governor Murtala Nyako, had been standing trial on allegations bordering on criminal breach of trust and related offences.
Delivering judgment on Friday, the Chief Judge of Adamawa State, Justice Hafsat Abdulrahman, held that the prosecution failed to establish any of the five counts against the former police officer beyond a reasonable doubt.
“The prosecution has failed to prove the ingredients of the offences charged beyond a reasonable doubt,” the judge held before discharging and acquitting Rabiu on all five counts.
Justice Abdulrahman ruled that the prosecution failed to present credible and convincing evidence sufficient to sustain the charges filed against Rabiu by the Adamawa State Government.
The case followed complaints linked to Rabiu’s former principal and allegations involving two landed properties said to be worth ₦80 million.
Reacting to the judgment, Rabiu’s counsel, Roland Emem, described the verdict as a victory for justice.
Emem praised the Chief Judge for “standing firmly on the law despite the lengthy proceedings.”
The case dated back to November 2021, when the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested and detained Rabiu following a petition allegedly written on behalf of Sebore Farms Limited, a company linked to the Nyako family.
The petition accused the former police officer of fraudulently converting two landed properties valued at ₦80 million.
According to the prosecution, Rabiu, while serving as Nyako’s CSO, was instructed to purchase the properties on behalf of Sebore Farms.
The prosecution alleged that he altered the ownership documents to another company before later selling the properties after Nyako’s impeachment in 2014.
Rabiu was arraigned before Justice Abdulrahman on November 12, 2021, on a five-count charge in Suit No. HC/ADSY/77CA/2021.
The arraignment was marked by drama after Rabiu’s initial lawyer, Gabriel Adikwu, withdrew from the case in open court.
Adikwu alleged a breach of confidentiality after a memo he had written to the DSS was leaked.
The defence later applied for bail on health grounds, which the court granted under strict conditions, including a N100m bond and a reliable surety.
The trial dragged on for years and was punctuated by several adjournments, many of which were caused by the prosecution’s inability to produce witnesses.
One of the delays occurred in July 2022 when the trial could not continue because the prosecution’s final witness failed to appear in court, forcing another adjournment.
As the defence opened its case, Rabiu denied diverting the properties.
He insisted that payments for the disputed land were made from his personal bank account and challenged the prosecution’s claims of ownership.
The defence also presented evidence questioning the legal status of entities central to the prosecution’s case, including Sebore Farms Limited and Sebore Export Process Zone.
The trial continued into 2025 and early 2026 before both parties adopted their final written addresses.
With Friday’s verdict, the nearly five-year criminal trial has come to an end, as the court held that the prosecution failed to prove its case against the former police officer.
