Court Adjourns Fraud Trial of Ex-Gov Nyako’s Former CSO Amid Defence Claims of DSS Overreach in Land Dispute

By Tgnews Reporter

The trial of retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Rabiu Sheriff, former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to ex-Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako, faced another delay on Thursday when the Adamawa State High Court adjourned proceedings to February 26, 2026. Presiding Judge Justice Hafsat Abdulrahman set the new date for adoption of the prosecution’s final written address.

The adjournment has once more highlighted ongoing defence arguments that the case, involving an alleged N80 million property fraud, stems from a civil land transaction rather than a criminal offence, and that the Department of State Services (DSS) improperly intervened despite an existing police investigation.

According to the defence, the dispute originated from a contractual arrangement for the purchase of landed property, which should have remained in civil jurisdiction.

Sheriff was initially detained for seven days by the DSS following a petition from Sebore Farms Limited a company associated with the Nyako family over the transaction. Defence counsel contends that the same complaint was already under investigation by the State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) of the Adamawa State Police Command in Yola when DSS operatives allegedly took over custody.

The defence has specifically named then-Deputy Director Halilu Suleiman and then-PSO Operations Mohammed Ali as the operatives involved, describing their actions as jurisdictional overreach and an abuse of process.

They argue that the Administration of Criminal Justice Law in Adamawa State discourages detention in purely civil matters and that the DSS mandate focuses on internal security threats, not commercial or contractual disputes.

In a protest letter to the DSS, lead defence counsel Barrister Gabriel Adiku who was also detained for two days along with his secretary Helina for questioning the agency’s role accused the complainants of “prosecutorial shopping” by approaching multiple agencies with the same issue.

The letter maintains that the police were already handling the matter and that further evidence from former Governor Nyako had been requested during the SIB phase.

Defence submissions reference police records indicating that Mohammed Bamanga Nyako, a son of the former governor, reportedly told SIB investigators that his father was “too big” to appear before authorities, including the Commissioner of Police or the O/C SIB Yola. This alleged statement, per the defence, contributed to the police halting their probe pending Nyako’s appearance and raises questions about the petition’s timing and motives, given Sheriff’s long service to Nyako.

Despite these objections, the state filed criminal charges through the Attorney General’s office, leading to Sheriff’s arraignment before the High Court in Yola on counts of alleged conversion of properties valued at N80 million.

The court earlier granted him bail on health grounds in the sum of N100 million, affirming bail as a constitutional right.

A notable development during the trial involved testimony from a Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) official, who confirmed that Sebore Farms Ltd and Sebore Farms Export Processing Zone entities central to the ownership claims do not appear in CAC registration records.

This followed defence-tendered exhibits challenging the legal status of the companies. Under cross-examination, Bamanga Nyako reportedly gave conflicting accounts about his and his father’s roles in the entities.

Sheriff testified that payments for the properties were made in five instalments directly from his personal bank accounts to the vendor, with the vendor corroborating this in court, disputing claims of asset conversion.

He also alleged that he and members of his legal team faced detention and pressure in DSS custody during the dispute’s early stages claims that remain before the court.

The DSS has not issued a public response to the specific allegations regarding operative involvement or jurisdictional issues, as of the filing of this report.

With jurisdictional, procedural, and evidentiary issues still contested including the status of the complaining entities and the propriety of the DSS intervention the case remains unresolved. Proceedings are scheduled to resume on February 26 for the next phase.

The conduct of the two DSS personnel toward retired senior police officer, ACP Sheriff, demands urgent and independent scrutiny. If a highly ranked officer who served meritoriously can allegedly be subjected to such degrading treatment, it raises serious concerns about the safety and rights of ordinary citizens who lack institutional standing or influence.

This situation underscores the need for responsible journalistic investigation into the officers’ actions, as such behavior — if established — does not reflect the professional standards expected of an organization of the DSS’s stature. The Director-General of the secret police is therefore respectfully urged to exercise the authority of his office to ensure a thorough review and to apply appropriate disciplinary measures against any personnel found culpable.