SAN FRANCISCO, September 28, (THEWILL) – A Federal High Court in Yola has ordered that a former Adamawa PDP Chairman, Alhaji Abdurrahman Bobboi, be remanded in prison for allegedly diverting food meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Justice Bilkisu Aliyu gave the order on Wednesday, at the hearing of a case of alleged forgery and stealing filed by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).
Also remanded were Mr Sanda Lamurde, a former Commissioner for Finance, and Feredan George, a former Chief Store Officer of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
The three accused persons, facing 16 count charges bordering on forgery, theft and fraud allegedly committed the crime between March and May, 2015.
According to the counsel of the EFCC, Abubakar Aliyu, the suspects were arraigned following a petition received from members of Agricultural Transformation Agro-Allied Farmers’ Cooperative Union, Adamawa chapter.
The union, in its petition to the EFCC, had alleged that the loan granted to Adamawa State farmers, from the Central Bank of Nigeria were not disbursed to them claiming that the funds were diverted into the purchase of food for IDPs by the state government.
Aliyu said that after investigation, the commission decided to arraign the suspects over the said transaction alleging that the accused persons took advantage of their membership of the State Committee on the Welfare of the IDPs, to perpetrate crime.
According to him, Lamurde, who served under former governor Bala Ngillari, was the Chairman of the committee while Abdurrahman Bobboi, a former Chief Protocol Officer to the governor, was a member.
“The suspects conspired among themselves and diverted the funds amounting to N587 million released by the Adamawa State Government to buy food and other basic needs of IDPs” he said.
The judge adjourned the case to November 10 for trial and ordered that the accused persons be remanded in prison custody pending the determination of their bail application.
