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| The suspects |
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Maiduguri Zonal Office, on Tuesday, May 25, 2019 arraigned one Engr. Abba Yusuf, a Permanent Secretary in the Borno State Road Maintenance Agency (BORMA) and two others before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, sitting in Maiduguri, the state capital.
They were docked on a 36-count charge, bordering on criminal conspiracy, forgery, obtaining money by false pretence, misappropriation and diversion of public funds to the tune of N11, 368,705 (Eleven Million, Three Hundred and Sixty-eight Thousand, Seven Hundred and Five Naira).
Other officials of BORMA standing trial with Yusuf are Mustapha Kura (transport officer) and Abubakar Mustapha (cashier).
The three are alleged to have defrauded BORMA on different occasions by inflating the costs of officially procured items with forged receipts of different companies.
Count two of the charges reads: โThat you, Engr. Abba Yusuf, Mustapha Kura and Abubakar Mustapha, sometime in 2011, in Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, while being the permanent secretary, transport officer and cashier respectively of Borno State Road Maintenance Agency (BORMA) and in such capacities, being entrusted with dominion over certain properties to wit: N91, 550,000 (Ninety One Million, Five Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) only, being monies approved for the purchase of 250/tonne stone crusher machine, committed a criminal breach of trust in respect of the sum of N13, 550,000 (Thirteen Million, Five Hundred and Fifty Naira) only, by diverting the said sum to personal use and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Cap102, Laws of Borno State.โ
They pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Following their plea, prosecution counsel, Benjamin Manji, prayed the court for a trial date and for the defendants to be remanded in prison custody.
The defence counsel, A.A Alfa, however, pleaded with the court to remand them in the custody of the EFCC pending the determination of their bail application.
Manji, who faulted the prayer of the defence counsel further argued that the right place for the defendants to be remanded was the prison and no longer the custody of the EFCC, since the matter was now in court.
Justice Kumaliya remanded the accused persons in prison custody pending the determination of their bail application.
