State vs Sheriff: Sebore Farms Ltd, Sebore Export Process Zone not registered – CAC official
A crucial development has emerged in the ongoing legal battle between the Adamawa State Government and a former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to ex-Governor Murtala Nyako, ACP Rabiu Sheriff (rtd), as the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) disowned two companies central to the case.
Testifying before Justice Hafsat Abdurrahman at the Adamawa State High Court, the State Head of CAC, Mr. Alkasum Ahmad, told the court on Thursday that Sebore Farms Ltd and Sebore Farms Export Process Zone, allegedly owned by former Governor Nyako, are not registered in the CAC database.
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The Adamawa State Government had instituted a lawsuit in 2021, accusing Sheriff of converting two landed properties valued at ₦80 million, originally acquired in the name of Sebore Farms Ltd, to his personal use before reselling them.
During cross-examination, defense counsel Abubakar Ali Esq. asked the CAC official to confirm the status of Exhibits DW1FA and DW1FB representing the two companies in question. Mr. Ahmad responded that neither entity is listed in the commission’s records.
Further cross-examined by the prosecution’s lead counsel, J.A. Waya, Ahmad confirmed that his role includes overseeing all CAC activities in the state and revealed that online company registration began as far back as 2005.
Following the submissions, Justice Hafsat adjourned the case to October 14, 2025, for further hearing.
Sheriff’s Allegations and New Evidence
Earlier in the trial, Sheriff had submitted bank statements showing that payments for the contested properties were made directly from his personal account to the vendor—challenging claims by Mohammed Bamanga Nyako, who is listed as a claimant.
Sheriff’s lead counsel, Barr. Roland Emem, urged the court to reopen his client’s examination-in-chief to admit further evidence establishing that both Sebore entities were never duly registered.
In further testimony, Sheriff disclosed that he was detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) on November 12, 2021, for seven days. His lawyer, Barr. Adikwu, and secretary, Helen, were also briefly detained. He alleged that his legal team faced threats, which led to the withdrawal of legal representation at a critical stage of the trial.
Sheriff said that his subsequent lawyer, Barr. Tunde Fakoya, insisted on verifying the companies’ registration status as a prerequisite for representation. Fakoya’s inquiry to the CAC yielded a written response confirming that the companies were unregistered. A follow-up investigation by Barr. Ali Jatau reaffirmed the same finding.
Sheriff also alleged that Mohammed Bamanga Nyako, who had previously told police investigators he was a director in both firms, denied involvement with Sebore Farms Ltd during the court proceedings.
He further claimed that a DSS Deputy Director attempted to coerce him into seeking forgiveness from Senator Abdulaziz Nyako, which he refused. Sheriff maintained that his detention and that of his lawyers amounted to gross violations of their fundamental rights.
